Blue eyes: Season two
by bluglow
Summary: Mai and her friends are back! With new adventures! New friends! And HIGH SCHOOL? The team faces tough battles in the American tournament and the search for the longlost jewels leads them into Norwing country where they meet a mysterious priestess. What co
1. Signs of Danger

Chapter 37------Signs of Danger

_Dear Riya,_

_It's been 2 months, 3days, 14 hours, 24 minutes and uhh...18 seconds since I last saw you. Okay okay; maybe I'm exaggerating a lil' but yeah, it's been 2 months._

_It's been a long time huh? I wonder what you're doing now, whether you still think about me or are having fun with the guys. You're probably wandering around China right now; or maybe somewhere else. I haven't found anything yet that will help locate the second jewel…I hope we find something soon though, Kenny's been working real hard but we haven't got any leads. Maybe you've found something? _

_But then again, I wouldn't know that would I…_

_I've been tagging along at school with Tyson and the rest. It's kinda cool over here, the culture and stuff, but they make the girls wear this dumb chequered skirt that stops above the knee, it's sooo short! I bet you're laughing right now… And oh did I tell you? My Japanese is improving! I can introduce myself now! Haha! _

_The school thing's only temporary though, we get out next month to train for the American tournament then come back later after the season ends. Will I get to see you there? I hope so…How you're gonna get to America I don't now but still, it doesn't hurt to hope right? _

_Hope you guys are doing fine wherever you are… Dammit! I should've given you my mobile phone number! I'm such an idiot! Argh! _

_Sigh… I really miss you and the guys a lot. Sometimes I wonder if I made the wrong decision to leave you and the rest. But at least I know you're somewhere out there, alive hopefully…because:_

_Me-sad _equals _you_

_But,_

_Me-you _equals_ sad_

_I read that from a book somewhere, makes sense doesn't it? I really want to see you again. Maybe Eden will do something, a miracle perhaps… But please please enter the tournament? Oh! Gotta run, Grampa G's calling for dinner. I'll see you there ok?_

_Mai._

Mai chucked her mechanical pencil in her pencil box. She then carefully folded the letter into eighths, meticulously making sure that all the ends met. She looked around, then slowly lifted the tatami mat and placed the paper on top of the other undelivered letters. She padded the floor firmly and dragged her futon over to conceal it. 'There.'

"MAAAAAIIIII!"

"Coming!"

Heavy footsteps thudded into the room, a chair was pulled out and a girl filled up the space above wooden seat. "You haven't even changed." Tyson eyed her uniform as he sat down beside her. "I'm dumping it in the wash anyway…I'll take a bathe after dinner. Itadakimasu!" Mai pulled her palms apart and skewered her fish with her chopsticks, ripping out pieces of meat and drenching it in sauce before placing it inside her mouth.

Dinner was mostly a silent affair, something Mai had learnt after so many months in Japan. If you wanted to talk, you had to make sure your mouth was empty and people usually spoke in short sentences. It was either that or the boys in this house had little to say to each other…

She stuck with the latter.

She watched the rest of them eat; all munching softly. It wasn't like this back home. Back home, everyone talked about something, everyone laughed over the table, joked, snatched food from each others' plates… She chuckled at the memory of Copellia falling backwards when she rocked her chair on two legs.

"What?"

"Eh, nande mo nai. (It's nothing)" The girl held back her laughter and continued with her meal.

"So which one of you dudes is washin' today?" Grampa G asked as he got up to clear his plate.

"Mai…" Everyone chorused in a monotone.

"ME? Why is it me again?" 'It's a conspiracy!'

"Because you lost yesterday's bet, remember?" Max pointed out.

"But… But!" She looked to Grampa G and Rei for backup but they did nothing. "Hidoi! (Yr all so mean!" She pounded her fist against her lap in protest.

"Kai can help you."

The usually calm and collected face of the Russian wrinkled up with a frown at the mention of his name. "It's supposed to be your turn today, help her out." The old man nodded in Mai's direction before exiting the dining room.

'Fine…'

-Fast forward-

"You're supposed to scrub properly! Like this!" Mai scrubbed the plate till it squeaked. "See?" She pulled it out of its soapy grave and showed it to the boy.

"Then why don't you do it?" Kai replied coldly.

"Because you're supposed to help me!"

"Fine. You wash. I'll dry." He tossed a cloth off its handle and caught it in mid-air.

'Stupid jerk… Who does he think he is? 'You wash. I'll dry.' Don't command me like some servant! BAKA!' Mai cursed in her head as she rubbed the sponge against the porcelain surface –scrub scrub scrub- 'Wait till it's his turn to wash, I'll make sure…' –scrub scrub scrub- A fleck of soap landed on Kai's nose. "-snorts with laughter- Sorry!" The boy wiped it down with his index finger and flicked some dish water onto Mai's face. "Hey!" She caught the guy smirking, daring her to retaliate. 'Fine! If that's how you want it!" Mai smashed the sponge on his shirt, leaving a patch of bubbles on the cotton surface. She jumped out of the way before Kai could get his revenge. 'Hah!' But she forgot that this wasn't Copellia, Mit-chan or Riya she was used to playing with, this was Kai: cold, stubborn and bad-tempered. He studied his shirt then glared at Mai, "You can clear everything yourself." With that, he threw the cloth on the counter and walked past Mai.

Wow, that was harsh. Mai felt like she had been hit by a cold winter wind. The water dripping on her feet reminded her of her duty and she went back to washing… 'Baka… can't you just lighten up a bit?'

-Next day-

The doors to the classroom slid open and two figures dragged into class, "Ohaiyou… (Good morning)."

"TYSON!" Hilary marched up to the bluenette, "Where were you yesterday? You were supposed to stay back to do the geography poster!"

"I forgot ok?" The boy dumped his head into his arms and prepared to go back to sleep.

"WHADDYA MEAN YOU FORGOT? IT'S DUE TODAY! YOU—"

Mai disconnected her ears from their argument and slipped into her seat by the window. Everyone loves the window seat, and she proceeded to do exactly what everyone would do when they get the window seat— stare out the window.

She had a nice view of the field but the school gate was blocked by the maple tree. In between the green foliage she could see bicycles streaming in through the gates, girls chit-chatting away in their small cliques and boys strolling in. Just then, something caught her attention…

"Riya wa kakkoi ne! (Riya is sooo cool!)"

"Drex mou! (Drex too!)"

"I heard that they almost beat the Bladebreakers."

"Shh! Not so loud, Tyson might hear us."

Mai stood up from her chair and walked towards the group, "Ne, chotto misete iin desu ka? (May I have a look?)" She pointed to the magazine. The girls looked at her weirdly, 'Oh shit! Did I say it wrongly?' Mai felt her cheeks burn up. One of the girls said something to her friend and they both started grinning.

"Yamete! (Stop it!)" A short brunette rebuked the pair and handed the magazine to Mai, "Here."

"Thanks." The ashen-haired girl forced a weak smile and scanned the glossy page. 'A Storm to Remember?' Her eyes fell on the picture of her friends, then to the little write-up on the left of the page. 'Team Freedom wrecked a storm in the Asian Beyblading Finals 2005, trashing Rei Kon of the Bladebreakers…… But how much do we know about this illusive group? ... hails from the land of China, and consists of Copellia Hashiba, the Dureinne siblings Mit-chan and Drex, and the oh-so-adored team leader, Riya Fujimori…'Mai read on with furrowed brows as the article moved on to give the 411( I think it's American slang for low-down/scoop/details) on the team members. 'When did they do this? What if people find out who they are?'

Fortunately, the article didn't leak any private information. Her friends had lied about some of the details, 'But if people find out…if Grandfather found out…' She studied the picture of the group, 'Let's hope he doesn't.' She closed the magazine and handed it back to the brunette…

-Somewhere in Japan-

"Yes sir, I'll put him on."

Liz held the phone to Britten's ear, "Hello? The tracking device is working fine sir. We've pinpointed her location. –taps on laptop- Tokyo. Uh-huh. Uhh… –looks at Liz- she's working on it. I understand. Yes sir." He pulled his ear away from the mobile and Liz pressed the 'disconnect' button.

"So what the boss say?" Chace was sprawled on the sofa, legs dangling over the edge.

"Just checking. He wants the plan in by Thursday."

"But that's two days from now!" Chace sat up. "He thinks we've got nothing better to do than work on his stupid plan?"

"If you didn't _laze_ around so much then we would've finished it by now!" The raven-haired girl snapped.

"Fine! Let's just get this over and done with, and don't do the hero-thing again. I don't wanna fail another mission; it'll tarnish my track record."

"Maybe you should concentrate more on your acting skills."

"Shut up." The light blue-haired teen threw a pillow in Britten's direction.

"Keep a close eye on her, Britten.This time, we play by the book." Liz unrolled the plan across the table and the team got to work…

-Back to Shiroyama High School-

-DING DONG DING DONG- -DING DING DING DONG- "YYEEEESSS! SCHOOL'S OUT!" Tyson rejoiced.

"Mr Granger! Sit down!" The teacher ordered and pointed an imperious finger at the chair. "Homework, -class groans- do questions 4, 5 and 8 of exercise 4.5 in your notebook. I want it in by tomorrow. Class dismissed."

The chairs screeched across the floor, "Thank you Miss Harada…"

Mai slung her sling-bag over her shoulder and stood by Tyson's table, watching him throw his books into his bag, "What's the rush?"

"I have training to do. –throws bag over shoulder- Let's go."

"Uh-uh-uhhhh," Hilary grabbed him by the collar, "your not going anywhere. You're staying back with us to finish the poster." She placed her hands on her hips.

"But the American tournament's coming up! Training is important."

'Sigh…' Mai waited for them to come to an agreement. "They bicker everyday…They must really like each other."

"Yeah…" Kenny agreed.

"All right…" Tyson finnaly gave in, "I'll stay. Sorry Mai but do you mind waiting? I have to finish this –holds up poster-"

"It's okay, I'll go home myself."

"No!" Mai was a bit startled by his response. "Uh I mean, get Max to go home with you. Kai's orders remember? Someone has to accompany you at all times."

'That stupid rule…. (face looks like this: -.-''')' "Where's Max then?"

"Usual place; by the school gate."

"Oh, later then." The girl walked out of class. She hated this part; the part where students would stare at her and whisper to their friends as she passed them. Sure she was still new and was part of the Bladebreakers but did they _have_ to treat her differently?

Mai ignored the looks people were giving her though occasionally some students would say hi. She was grateful to them for making her feel welcomed but wished the rest would stop staring, it made her feel uneasy. She went down three flights of stairs, through the main hall, passed the gym and finally emerged out of the school building; she saw Max standing by the gate just like Tyson said he would.

"Tyson's staying back for a project. He said we could leave first."

"Yeah ok. We're waiting for Kai and Rei. They're still on the field. Wanna go see?" Max pointed over the the field.

The girl followed behind him and was surprised to find a huge crowd of girls gathered at the edge of the field. "How come there are— -spots Kai on the field- Oh…no wonder…" She muttered sarcastically. The pair sat themselves down on one of the benches; Kai scored a goal and a variety of screeches, screams and shouts went up in the air. The whistle was blown and the soccer players shuffled back to the benches.

"Ready to go?" Max got up as Rei, Kai and another boy walked up to them. Mai recognised the boy as Yuta: senior high grade 2, attends the same geography class as her and forward-attacker for Shiroyama High's soccer team. With light-brown hair, emerald-green eyes, tall, a nice smile and a pro at penalty shots, the girls were right; there were _lots_ of eye-candy to drool over.

"Mai, you know Yuta?" Rei motioned his hand to the boy who had a towel draped around his shoulders.

"Uh yeah, same Geography class right?" 'Why's my cheek heating up? Dammit!'

"Konami Yuta desu. Yorushikku. (I'm Konami Yuta. Nice to meet you.)" The boy held out a hand and smiled warmly.

"Eh? Oh! Takuya Mai. Yorushikku!" Mai quickly shook the boy's hand.

"Sorry, would it be better if I spoke in English?"

"No, it's okay. I have to improve my Japanese anyway." 'Good girl! Just stay calm and everything will go smoothly.'

"In that case, I'll see you around then? Don't forget to bring your compass tomorrow. Ja ne!" Mai watched as he turned his back and headed into the school building.

"Hehhhh? Am I missing something?" Rei grinned. "What's the compass for?"

"It's for Geography." Mai huffed. "Don't go thinking the wrong way."

"Besides, she's got a fiancé." Max added.

"Yeah!" the girl retorted.

"Ikou. (Let's go)" Kai grabbed Rei's duffel bag and tossed it to him. With that he headed towards the school gate while the others followed…

"Maxie, can I borrow a compass from you?"

"Yeah sure."

The group was split in two, with Kai at the front and Rei, Mai and Max just a few feet behind. They were passing a row of shops when Mai suddenly stopped, "Mai?"

But the girl didn't answer; her eyes were glued on the television setby the window:

Riya: "Well I suppose we would but I wouldn't wanna push the team."

Interviewer: "So what's next for Team Freedom?"

Riya: "Maybe travel around more? We're kinda busy with something so the schedule's a bit tight."

'Baka! Nani yo suru? (Idiot! What do you think you're doing?)' Anger was starting to build up inside her, 'you're gonna ruin us all!'

"Dooshite? (What's wrong?)" Rei asked. Even Kai looked at her weirdly.

Fed up with what she was seeing, "Nothing, let's go," she replied coldly and walked ahead of the group, staying silent throughout the rest of the walk home…

'Riya wa baka. BAKA!'

Hey! I'm back! Hahaha! I'mso happy! I've finally started on the second season!

readers: WOOOO! Finally!

Hope you guys enjoy this new one! Sigh, I still have to think up the rest of my plot for this season... Remember to review k? X3


	2. Trouble

Chapter 38------Trouble

'What an idiot he is…Doesn't he know that my Grandfather is still alive? Doesn't he care if people recognise him? What a stupid STUPID thing to do! How can he—'

"Mai!"

'What if they get caught by him? What if the archaeologists get them to translate the inscriptions? It'll expose everything!'

"Takuya Mai!"

"H-Hai!" The girl shot up from her chair, earning snickers from the rest of her classmates.

"Stop daydreaming and pay attention!" The teacher shouted and the girl guiltily hung her head. "What's the answer for question 6?"

Mai looked frantic, 'Damn! Which page are we on?' "Uhh…umm…" She turned to the person beside her for an answer. Everyone had their eyes on her and she could see the impatient look Mr Tojo was wearing. Just then, she caught sight of Yuta mouthing the answer to her. "135 degrees?"

Mr Tojo's lips pursed, obviously unhappy with missing the chance to discipline a student. "Correct…but I better not catch you building castles in the sky during my lesson again, Miss Takuya."

"Hai…" The girl sat back down and fumbled with her pencil box, anything to distract her from her classmates' stares…

"Hey, umm thanks for just now." Mai managed to catch up with Yuta as they were leaving the Geography homeroom.

The boy nodded, "Don't mind him, he likes picking on the new students. Wants to test them you see."

"Ohh. Ja ittekimasu. (In that case, I'll be off then.)" Mai gave a slight bow and made her way back to class.

Lunch was served in class. It was one of the things Mai enjoyed about the Japanese culture. The school had no cafeteria so the food was brought up to class by the lunch ladies. The students got to rearrange their tables so they could eat with their friends. Everyone lined up for their meals and everyone cleared their own trays, it taught the students how to be independent and orderly.

Mai's meal consisted of bread and jam, soup with a chunk of mackerel in it, mixed vegetables, a bowl of rice and a small carton of strawberry milk. It wasn't her choice; everyone got the same thing; unless you had packed a bento (Japanese lunch box) to school. She placed her tray on the table next to Kenny, "Whatcha Mom pack today Kenny?"

"Same old ramen again…-lifts noodles with his chopsticks and plops it into the box-" The poor boy looked bored with his food as he picked away at the thick chewy noodles.

"Well, your parents _do_ run a Ramen stall." Tyson pointed out as he buttered his bread.

"But eating ramen 365 days a year? Gimme a break…"

"There there, Kenny." Mai patted the boy's back, "Here, you can have my fish." She transferred the bowl of soup from her tray to the chief's. Hilary suggested giving the ramen to someone else so that he could eat the school food but the bespectacled boy declined.

"By the way, I heard Yuta saved your butt from one of Mr Tojo's discipline lectures." This remark caught everyone's attention in the table and they looked at the girl intently.

"How'd you know?"

"Word gets out fast. Yuta _is_ after all a popular guy." Hilary replied in an oh-so-obvious tone.

"Well so what? He was just helping me. There's nothing wrong with helping someone." Mai suddenly became very interested in spreading grape jam on her bread— too much grape jam.

"But don't you think he's being _too_ nice to you? Ah forget it; just remember you still have Riya."

Mai placed her chopsticks forcefully on her tray, "Are you saying I'm cheating on Riya?" She threw the cold question at Hilary.

"N-No, but just be –"

"I'm not, okay?" Mai replied harshly. 'How could she accuse me of cheating on Riya? I'd never do that!'

"Whoa, cool it." Kenny spoke up, "Hilary didn't mean it."

"Yeah, I didn't know you'd – sorry…" Mai gave her a shrug and the brunette glumly went back to eating her food…

-Back home-

Mai headed straight to her room (the dojo) and closed the sliding door with a loud –THAWCK-.

"What happened?"

"PMS…"

Just then the door slid open, "I HEARD THAT, TYSON!" and slammed shut. The boys just stood there looking as if a lion had roared in their faces.

"I pity the paper shoji screen…"Max sighed and the group entered the house…

-Mai's room-

The girl pulled out her notebook and tore out a piece of lined-paper. She dug her hands into her bag and pulled out her pencil box, hurriedly zipping it open and extracting her purple mechanical pencil from the cluster of pens, rulers and other stationery. Mai placed a hard book under the paper and began scribbling:

_Dear Riya,_

_What have you done? What am I doing? Why? I don't' even know what the hell I'm writing about…_

_I want you here now, to complain to you, to tell you everything; so that you can comfort me. And today Hilary says I might cheat on you…Why? Why aren't you here to back me up? Why aren't you here to make sure I won't go astray? Why aren't you here when I need you to listen? _

_Oh yeah, you're too busy telling the whole world who we are!_

_What are you thinking? If he knows there are Zeelans still alive he'll kill you, and Copellia, and Mit-chan and Drex and then he'll come after me! And I'd lose all of you…again...and this time none of you will ever come back…ever._

_I know I sound selfish but I don't know what I'm doing…I just need someone to blame everything on and so I blame it on you…even though I know it's not entirely your fault. I'll always forgive you remember? _

_I want one of those carrier pigeons. Then I could send all of my letters to you and you'd know how much I miss you. But I'm starting to wonder, how long can I last? There's no one here I can REALLY talk to and sometimes…I talk to myself, tell myself about my day, about my feelings… I know it's silly but Tyson and the rest don't really look like they'd understand or want to talk about it… I want one of those tape recorder devices so I don't have to spend time penning these things down. I could just talk to myself and record it then I'd play it back and think: What an idiot she is thinking about this kinda stuff._

Levian: You're really losing it, you know.

'How do you know? You can't read.' Mai put the pencil down and laid on her futon, taking in the shadows on the ceiling created by the afternoon sun.

Levian: You're reading everything inside your head.

'What now? You're gonna tell me how to live my life again?'

Levian: Come to think of it, I _have _been telling you how to live your life.

The girl rolled on her side, 'I know… What would I do without you huh? It's just that… I don't know if …how do I say this?'

Levian: I'm listening.

'I'm not hopeless without Riya or anything but… sometimes I just want him here. I'm afraid that I might…betray him…but I hope I don't! Guess that's where self-discipline comes in doesn't it?'

Levian: Hmmm, can I ask you a question?

'Shoot.'

Levian: If you had to choose between saving the world and your friend, which would you choose?

'The world…'

Levian: Why?

'I'd love to save my friend, demo (but)… what's one sacrifice compared to the world? I'd be selfish if I didn't…'

Levian: And who would judge you that way?

'Everyone… Everyone wants it their way. If something goes against their wishes, they blame that something. Even though there are kind people in this world, if they could have things their way, they would. Humans are like that, we're selfish creatures…'

Levian: Isn't that what you're doing now? Blaming Riya when the choice is actually up to you?

'I know it's up to me but one end will suffer! Gah! I don't know…let's just drop it. When it comes, it comes and if I can do anything about it, I will but if I can't, then so be it.'

Mai sat up and read through her letter. What was she thinking when she wrote this? All this gibberish about carrier pigeons and tape recorders? Nonetheless, she still folded it and slid it under the tatami mat when she thought no one was watching.

But oh! Someone _was_ watching her and for many days now. The green-haired boy leaped out of the bonsai tree and landed gracefully on his feet before hurrying away to report to his leader…

-Somewhere in an empty warehouse-

"Found anything yet?"

Miriam shook her head and tucked away the pendant, "We need more clues. The pendant isn't gonna show us anything unless where close by."

Ozuma fell to the floor, with legs crossed and one fist propping up his head. "If that doesn't work…then we'll just have to keep on following her till she leads us to the jewels."

"Joseph's back." Dunga pointed to the person who had slid through the doors.

"Any luck, Sis?" The green-haired boy made himself comfortable on some crates while he received Miriam's reply.

"So? Anything new today?"

Joseph lay on his back, repeatedly tossing his blade up in the air and catching it with his right hand, "Nah, it's school in school out. But I overheard Tyson say they were going for the American tournament. Maybe we'll find something there. The jewels are scattered to the four corners of the Earth, no?"

Ozuma let out a groan, "The longer we wait, the higher the chances that guy Riya's already found the jewels... Dammit! We should've followed him!"

"Let's hope he hasn't. Hey Miriam! It's your shift tonight." Dunga reminded.

"I'm goin' I'm goin'! Sheesh…" The girl adjusted her ponytail before heading out the door…

-Back to Granger residence-

"Mai! Stop messaging and throw out the trash!"

"Okay!" Mai didn't bother to look up; she quickly typed her message and pressed the 'send' button. She slipped the mobile phone into her pocket and headed into the kitchen…

"Haaaah, this is so gross." She held the plastic bag by the tip of her fingers and dumped it into the bin. Just then, she heard a familiar sound. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone:

Message received:

_Don't forget my notes. I'll see you at the stadium!_

-Hilary

The girl was just about to reply when something caught her attention, "!" She turned to look but the next second, an overwhelming sense of pain blasted through her neck. The girl fell into the man's arms and instantaneously, a car pulled up behind him and Mai was dragged into the vehicle which sped off into the night……

"Mai!" Rei ran out to check what was taking the girl so long. He passed the gate, "Mai?" then he noticed the phone lying on the floor and his heart started to race, 'Oh shit!' He picked the phone up and read through the message. 'But she never—' Then something horrible struck him and he rushed into the house, "GUYS! SHE'S GONE!"

"Nani?"

"MAI'S GONE!" Rei stuck the phone out at them. It took the rest a second to register what he was saying before their eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.

'Oh no!'

Sorry for the slow update. Had a writer's block but from here on, I know what's gonna happen so I'll be able to write faster. Review all right? Thx!


	3. The Master’s Bidding

Chapter 39------The Master's Bidding

-Miriam's POV-

I can't believe it! But who would—?

I raced after the vehicle. Travelling by roof-top was the quickest way I could catch up with the car. I panicked, she was in trouble!

HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?

Shit! I can't catch up!

I pushed my legs to run faster, keeping my eyes out for the car and checking if I had to make another jump to another roof. Every land exerted a lot of pressure on the knees and I tried minimising the impact by doing light jumps; the smaller the better. I watched the car make a right turn and disappear behind a building.

Shit! I can't lose it now!

I leapt off the roof and down onto the pavement.

Gotta catch up!

I made that right turn to find the road empty.

"DAMMIT!"

My breathing was rapid as I squeezed my abdomen, trying to get rid of the stitch that had formed.

I CAN'T BELIEVE I LOST HER! AND AFTER ALL THAT RUNNING! ARGH!

Then I had an idea, I pulled out the pendant and let it hang loose. "Please –pant- please work." The pendant swayed a little, I walked down the road, trying to pick up a stronger vibe… and then I caught it! It was a faint glow, but it was all I had…

-End of POV-

-Tyson and gang-

The boys raced up the steps to the Tokyo Beyblading stadium, only to find the door locked. "It's locked!" Tyson banged on the glass doors.

"She's not here!"

"THEN WHERE THE HELL COULD SHE BE?" The bluenette shouted in frustration. "MAI YOU IDIOT! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO JUST RUN OFF LIKE THAT?"

"I just go off the phone with Hilary; she said they were supposed to meet here tomorrow." The neko-jin slipped the phone into his pocket, "she's on her way to our house now."

"But if she's not here then –" Max glanced at the empty lobby of the stadium then back at Rei. His face had the words 'something's wrong' written all over it.

"Make a police report." Kai's voice was stern but urgent, "We have to find her." 'We shouldn't have left her alone! Someone should've accompanied her! I gave orders for no one to leave her side! But now she's gone! She's gone!'

"But that will expose her—"

But Kai cut Max off, "JUST DO IT, DAMMIT! MAI'S MISSING AND YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT HER IDENTITY? FOR ALL WE KNOW SHE COULD BE DEAD BY NOW!"

"SHUT UP, KAI!" Tyson retorted. "Mai's not dead!"

"HOW WOULD YOU KNOW?"

"I JUST KNOW ALL RIGHT?" The two of them were at each other throats and Rei felt the need to intervene.

"Cool it." He held the boys at arms-length, "We'll find her but for now we'll make a police report and go home."

"But!"

"_GO HOME,_ Tyson." Rei stared straight into the boy's eyes as though trying to justify his point and daring him to answer back.

Admitting defeat, Tyson tore his gaze and headed down the steps without saying a word, the rest followed quickly behind him…

-Fast forward-

"Did you find her?" Hilary left the step she was sitting on and raced up to Tyson. The boys shook their heads. "Then what are we goin' to do?" The girl gripped Tyson's hand, demanding an answer. She wouldn't accept it, they had to have something; they just had to!

"We've made a police report but we told them to keep it under wraps. There's nothing we can do now but wait." Rei replied dejectedly.

"Sounna… (It can't be…)" Hilary felt void of all emotion. Inside, she was desperately trying to cling onto that little bit of hope left but she could feel it crumbling, like grains of sand… slowly slipping through her fingers, only to be scattered into oblivion by the wind…

"Let's go inside and talk. You little dudes are gonna freeze if ya stand here all night." Grampa G stood by the door, motioning the rest to go inside…

-Another location-

-Miriam's POV-

Here?

I looked at the house before me, it looked too ordinary. White-washed walls, cosy front yard though a bit small, a nice little maple tree growing at the side.

It looks so quaint. It's hard to imagine every day you see such houses and you don't know what skeletons in the closet they keep…

I double-checked with the pendant.

Yup, the glow was bright all right.

I sneaked up towards the house and spotted the car. She was _definitely_ here. I crept my way around the house, making sure I was concealed by the shadows. I looked for an open window but found a lighted one instead.

Close enough.

I peeked through the gap in the curtains with one eye. There were two people, a tall guy and a girl; they didn't look Japanese. Their mouths were moving so they must be talking. I pressed my ear onto the glass.

Dang! I can't hear a thing! Wait, gotta find Mai first.

I slowly pushed my body off the side of the wall and – -CLANG!- "SHIT!"

-THWACK- "Someone toppled the watering can…"

"It's probably a cat."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. The walls have ears you know…Get Chace to scan the a— -THWACK-

Oh crap!

I peeled myself from under the window ledge.

Now I had to avoid being caught! Bloody watering can!

I wanted to kick it but I knew that would be a bad move. I looked around, frantically searching for a place to hide. I heard the door open.

Argh! Hurry!

I leapt over the bushes and hid under the neighbour's car, scraping my arm against the gravel.

Tsk!

My breathing was heavy and I prayed whoever was out there wouldn't find me. I watched as the feet walked around the front yard, then disappeared, then reappeared. Then suddenly they landed right in front of me! My breathing froze and my stomach twisted into a knot.

Please don't find me! Please…

"Hey there."

I held my breath.

"So it was you all along huh?"

I watched him bend down and –

OH NO!

I heard an animal mew and I wave of relief washed over me.

"HEY! FOUND ANYTHING?"

"Nah! Just a cat!" The man shouted.

He placed the cat back down, turned on his heel and left. Then I heard the door close. I waited a few seconds before I wiggled out of my hiding place, trying hard not to add more injury onto my skin. I dusted the dirt of my clothes and examined the bruise on my arm; it was nothing serious.

I hid behind the bushes and looked up at the top floor windows.

Mai's gotta be in one of those rooms. But how do I— the balcony? No, that's too risky…

I crept slowly to the side of the ground floor window, my second attempt not to blow my cover… There wasn't anyone in the living room. I checked another window—

YES! They're in the kitchen! And the sliding door's open!

I stood a few feet away from the door, checking my surroundings if there were anymore _meddlesome _watering cans…

All clear!

I strained my ears to pick up any bits of conversation...

-END OF POV-

"So everything's over?" Chace crossed his arms behind his head and rocked his chair on two legs.

"Yeah," Britten placed the coffee mug to his lips, "but what're they going to do to her? She's probably only 16? 17? That's still young."

"It's none of our business what the boss does with her…" Liz replied coldly. "We just carry out the mission. We get paid, forget everything that happened and get on with our lives. If you can't do that, then I don't know what you're doing in this line of work."

"Hey, I didn't say anything." The guy raised his arms in defence, "For one to be the best, one has to abandon his heart, that's your rule."

'Wrong. That's _everyone's _rule.' The girl's eyes lingered on the mug before getting up from her seat, "We'll take her to see the boss in the morning."

"Where?"

"Some building in Ikebukuro, DAICHI I think…" Britten answered.

-Miriam's POV-

DAICHI? In Ikebukuro?

I slowly slipped away from the door. When I felt it was safe, I dashed out into the street…

Gotta tell the guys!

-Fast forward-

-BAM!- "TAIHEN YO! (Emergency!)" Miriam burst through the doors of the abandoned warehouse and shook her mates up, "Wake up!"

"Wha—" Joseph lazily lifted an eye lid.

"Wake up wake up wake up!" The girl slapped her brother's face.

"Get lost, idiot!" Joseph snapped at his sister and went back to sleep.

"MAI'S IN TROUBLE AND IF YOU GUYS WON'T SAVE HER THEN I WILL!" Miriam was about to stomp off in the direction of the door when—

"Wait! Mai's in trouble? Where?" Ozuma was wide awake, his senses set on 'alert' mode.

"Someone's kidnapped her. They're holding her somewhere now but she won't be there for long. They're gonna take her to a place in Ikebukuro in the morning, DAICHI I think." The girl quickly filled the group in on the current situation; heads nodded and questions were exchanged.

"So we get there first before they do? That your plan?" Dunga didn't sound too convinced about the whole save-Mai thing but Miriam nodded her head determinedly.

"Wait, why are we doing this again? It's not like we're on her side or anything." Joseph protested, still a little pissed about being woken up at 3 in the morning just for this.

"The girl has Eden and we don't know what whoever kidnapped her wants her for. Both her parents are dead so this guy must know something…And even if we save her, do you seriously think we'll take her back to the _Bladebreakers_?" Ozuma watched the boy's frown turn into a smirk.

"Ahhh, I get it." The green-haired boy wagged a finger at his leader, "Let's go get our quarry then."

-Next day-

The girl stirred, she moved her position but felt something was restricting her. Her eyes fluttered open, something WAS restricting her! Mai tugged on the cloth that bound her arms and legs to the sides of the bed. 'What the hell? Wher—'

"Oh good, you're awake." Mai turned her head to see a familiar face sitting on the chair next to the desk. He sat the wrong way round, resting his chin on his arms which were folded on the back of the chair.

"YOU!" The girl suddenly remembered her past with him, "LEMME GO YOU IDIOT! HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME! HEEEELLLLPPP! HHHEEEEMMMPPPPPPHHHFFFF!" Britten gagged the girl with a cloth.

"Be quiet! The neighbours will hear us." The boy placed a finger on his lips. Mai furrowed her brows but continued her muffled screams. "You're wasting your time doing that. Besides, you won't be here long; we're taking you to see your Grandfather."

Something clicked inside Mai and she grew frantic, all the more she struggled harder. Her Grandfather! The man she hated! The man she loathed! The man she desperately tried to get away from all this time! They were taking her to him! NO! He'd kill her! She didn't want to die! She was too young! She had a whole life ahead of her! It can't end now! Not today! She couldn't die! 'I don't wanna die!' Tears started to stain the girl's cheeks, trickling down the side of her neck, making it sticky with wet.

The door opened and another man walked in. Mai recognised him as the guy who tried to rape her. 'If he's here, then Liz must be here too! She could help me!'

"Hey babe." Chace stared straight down at her, "Why's she crying?" He looked at his partner.

"I told her she was going to see her Grandfather then she went all berserk. Overwhelmed with joy maybe?" The chestnut-haired boy chuckled while Mai frantically shook her head, her shouts growing louder against the damp cloth.

"Aww, don't cry babe," Chace ran a thumb under the girl's eye, "he's only your Grandfather. He's not gonna hurt you or anything." He pushed back the girl's hair which was matted to her face.

Mai cried even harder at this. 'He's not gonna hurt you...' he says. If only that were true…if only that were true…' She stopped struggling and just cried, and cried… and cried buckets more…

What had she done to deserve this?

Suddenly a figure appeared at the door, Liz was stunned to see Mai already awake but she quickly replacedit with her usual indifferent expression. "I'll get the car ready. Get her freshened up, I don't want people getting suspicious when we take her out." The girl stared at Mai, and then turned to leave, her black hair trailing behind her.

'Why…? She didn't even care… She just left…and that cold face…' Mai kept her gaze fixated on place where Liz once stood. She knew it was too much to hope for that Liz would help her but somehow she felt betrayed…Liz of all people should know what her Grandfather would do to her! So why won't she help her! WHY?

Britten and Chace proceeded to untie the cloth that bound her feet and arms, "Don't try anything funny now." Chace warned as he tipped the dagger at her, the glint of light on the edge of the blade forced Mai to lie as still as a mouse. They bound her wrists behind her back and took her to the bathroom to clean her tear-streaked face.

"Here." Britten tossed her some clothes, a simple red t-shirt with a pair of three-quarter khaki-coloured pants. "Get changed."

Mai gave him a look that told him he was absurd! "Look, if you won't change by yourself then I'm sure either of us would be _much_ obliged to do it for you." The boy's devilish grin made the girl think twice; his partner's smirk didn't help either.

"Could you…please look away?" The girl said in a quivering voice. She couldn't oppose their bidding, she was under the influence of the knife…and when it came to the knife, it meant life or death.

Chace's eyes shone, "What? And miss the show?" He guffawed, making Mai all the more uneasy. "Fine, we'll look away but you've got 30 seconds." He placed himself at the window while Britten moved to the door. A wise move indeed.

Mai quickly threw off her clothes and forced her body into the new garments, taking care to cover up as much as she could in case one of them decided to peek. The clothes fit her snugly, "I'm done."

"Nice ass you got there." Chace smirked as he twirled around. Mai looked confused for a second but finallyunderstood what he meant. The pitch darkness outside reflected everything clearly on the glass. Her cheeks grew red and she dropped her gaze to the floor. (blu: No! it's not pornography! She still had her undergarments on!)

"Let's go." Once again they tied her handstogether and pushed her out the door…

"Get in." Chace ordered the girl into the car. Britten took the driver's seat with Liz in the front. Chace kept the dagger next to his thigh, occasionally tapping it on the leather interior. The car rumbled to life, reversed and careened down the empty street.

All this time Mai didn't utter a word, she sat quietly in the car like a good little girl. She could only spend the last few moments of her life reminiscing about all the good that had happened; her parents, her friends, her childhood days, Levian… 'Minna sayonara…Sayonara, Riya…Sorry I couldn't keep my promise…' And even behind the pair of dark-coloured shades, the tears were still visible to anyone who bothered to notice…

My advanced present to all my readers! HAPPY SAINT WHITE'S DAY! Guys don't forget to give ya girls something special! I think something plain will do nicely no? Hope you liked this chapter. I shall make it more descriptive and umm improve on the next few chapters...yeah. Please review!


	4. Internal Conflict

Chapter 40------Internal Conflict

"Huh-ha-huh-ha-huh-ha-" Kenny ran all the way to Tyson's house, screeching to a halt once he reached the front gate. He banged on the metal ring. The door swung open minutes later and—

"WHERE'S MAI? IS SHE ALL RIGHT? WHAT DID THE POLICE SAY?" The boy bombarded Grampa Granger with so many questions, the poor man wasn't even given time to reply.

"Whoa, one at a time lil' dude! One at a time!" The man gripped the boy's shoulders and Kenny calmed down. "We haven't heard from the police yet but Rei thinks her Grandfather took her."

"Who?"

"Uhh, maybe you should go talk ta Tyson and the rest about it. Hilary's here too, girl's been worried sick ever since she heard da news." The man steered Kenny into the house…

"So what's the situation with Mai?"

The teenagers were gathered in the tea room. Hilary made the tea and handed each porcelain bowl to its owner. Every bowl was different; some had intricate drawings of cranes while others had simple leaves or flowers, some were black, a speckled-green or just plain brown.

"Thanks." Rei graciously accepted the bowl and placed it on the table. "The police haven't found anything but we think her Grandfather has something to do with it. So far he's the only person who's been endangering her." He answered the Chief.

"But isn't he in China?"

"_That_ we don't' know." Max pointed out, "he could be in Japan…but the problem is we don't. Have. Any. Clues!" Everyone nodded sadly at this.

"ARGH! I HATE THIS! Not being able to do anything and just sitting here!" Tyson vented out his frustration, "Can't we go look for her ourselves? It's better than waiting for those stupid police to do something about it!"

Hilary placed a firm grip on his shoulder, her eyes telling him to stop. "I know you're worried, we all are. But there's not much we can do without any leads." The group fell silent; the only sound came from the bamboo clinking on the rocks near the koi pond. (You know those bamboo tubes that when they fill up with water, they clink onto the rocks cos' the water's heavy and then come back up again only to be filled with more water from a flowing stream?) Kenny let out a heavy sigh. The boy opened his mouth to say something but apparently, someone stole that opportunity.

"We'll find her. Kanarazu. (I swear)" Kai's eyes showed no hint of desperation or uncertainty; he meant what he meant and he intended to follow through with it. 'It's partly our fault that she's gone; we shouldn't have left her alone. As captain it's my duty to find her…No matter what, we HAVE to find her.'

Dranzer: Why are you blaming everything on yourself?

'BECAUSE I'M THE CAPTAIN! I was supposed to look out for her! I made sure nothing happened to her! I made sure she would be safe! But now I don't even know where the hell she is! I failed to protect her! Is THAT something a captain would do? Fail to look out for his TEAM MATES?'

Dranzer: I don't think that's the only reason…

'That IS the only reason; to fulfil my duty as Captain.'

Dranzer: No…you're just afraid, afraid that she'll end up like Nala…

'!' The words hit the Russian hard. 'Nala…' He remembered; he remembered everything, the whip, the weights, her screams, the metal door closing behind her...how he never saw her again… 'Never saw Mai again…' He subconsciously thought as the image of Mai being dragged away and disappearing behind the door with a loud thud played in his head…So loud, it seemed as though it was the last time he'd ever see her again…

'The last time…'

"Hey, you okay? You look a bit…distressed." Rei looked into the boy's eyes; they were wavering.

Kai blinked and the emotion was gone, "Uh yeah…" He drained his cup and stood up, "I'm going out…"

"Where?"

But Kai didn't bother to reply; he put on his sneakers and headed out the door…

'I'm not gonna lose someone again…Not when I have the power to do something about it…'

-Ikebukuro, DAICHI-

The car swerved into the dark car park; the shutter doors slowly closing behind them. Britten pulled the gear stick and switched off the engine, everyone got out…

-Outside-

"Hurry! Before it closes!" Miriam pushed her brother under the shutters and quickly slipped under it. The light thinned into a tiny slit and then –THUM- the Saintshields found themselves standing in dark a loading area. "Hey!" Miriam was pulled roughly by the arm behind a van.

"Shhh!" Ozuma pointed to four figures moving in the distance. They watched as Mai was lead into a bright lift lobby. "Joseph, follow them. Find out what they plan to do with Mai." The boy nodded his head and moved swiftly towards the unsuspecting foursome.

"Wait here till he comes back, Miriam and I will go investigate the building." Ozuma told Dunga, who surprisingly didn't object to his role. They pushed a red button which they assumed to be the switch for the shutter doors. The doors started to lift and the two slipped under it, leaving Dunga to take care of the rest…

-Back to Mai-

They entered the lift, "What floor?"

"Twenty-two."

Chace pressed level twenty-two and the doors closed. Everyone kept silent till the doors opened on the twenty-second floor. Mai walked into a carpeted corridor, a single furnished door stood in front of her, flagged by two thick pillars. She would've been awed by the grandeur of it all if it wasn't for the state she was in. She moved slowly; completely aware of what was waiting for her behind that door.

"We're here to see the Boss." Liz spoke to the secretary.

"I'm afraid you'll have to make—"But Liz pushed a card in front of her and she immediately changed her tone, "Please go right in. –forces a smile- The boss has been expecting you." The group walked past the counter towards the doors and she couldn't help but notice the sad look on one of their faces. 'She's still young…I feel sorry for her.' She kept her eyes on the girl till the heavy doors blocked her view…

"Ah! My lovely Granddaughter! How nice to see you again!" The man got up to embrace Mai but the girl stepped back, glaring at him with scornful eyes. He had killed her parents, no way was she even gonna allow him to lay a finger on her.

Sensing her distaste, her Grandfather held back, resuming his business-like demeanour. "Good job Liz, Britten, Chace." He nodded to each of them as he addressed them.

"We are pleased to be of service to you." Liz said in a humble tone. (blu: ahaha! Now _that's_ rare!)

'Pfffhht! Such a suck-up.' Chace thought.

"So, tell me, what has my Granddaughter been up to all this while?" The man went back to his armchair and folded his arms on the table with his fingers intertwined and Mai noticed a gold ring with a jade stone in the middle on his index finger. Her grandfather leaned in, eagerly awaiting her answer.

Mai stubbornly kept quiet. She wasn't going to tell him anything. Her eyes glanced sideways at the panel of glass windows; she'd rather burst through them and fall headlong to the ground below than be in the same room with this despicable man.

"Answer the boss." Liz gave her a shove on the arm. 'Another reason why I can't do that…' Mai thought disappointedly.

"That's all right Liz. Let Mai take her time, she does have every right to be angry with me after all."

The girl finallyexploded after seeing the smile on her Grandfather's face, "THE HELL I DO!" her hands struggled under the rope. "KONNO BAKEMONO! KAA-SAN TO TOU-SAN WA KOROSARETA! (YOU MONSTER! YOU KILLED MY PARENTS!)" Liz clamped a hand over her mouth, 'And you can still smile after what you've done! How dare you! You heartless creep!' You could practically see the fire burning in Mai's eyes, how much she hated this man, how much she wanted him to pay for what he had done to her. He was no Grandfather, she HAS no Grandfather! She'd kill this man! SHE'D KILL HIM!

-Ba-dump- -Ba-dump-

Mai stopped struggling and bent over a little, it was happening.

Her Grandfather seemed to have noticed this and a smile tugged on his upper lip, everything was going exactly as he had planned. "Yes, it's true I killed Serena and Henry –Britten seemed a little shocked at hearing this- but I did it so I could save _you_. They were going to kill you in the end! I wanted to rescue my only Granddaughter."

"Bullshit! You wanted me dead! You knew what I was! They were trying to protect me and you killed them!" Mai spat.

"That's because they didn't know you had Eden." The man's eyes narrowed, "Do you think you're the _only_ chosen one? There were others before you, what do you think happened to them?"

Mai's expression altered a little as she recalled what Hilary had told her, 'They were killed…'

"I think you do, don't you?"

"So what? You're still gonna kill me…" Mai replied, her tone somewhat lower than before.

"Hahahahaha! Kill you?" His look was incredulous, "I might my dear, but why would I want to do that when you can do something for me?"

Mai didn't like where this was going, "What do you want with Eden?"

"How did you know! Henry was always a bright boy; he must have passed some of those genes on to you."

Mai found this really irritating; he was mocking her and he was enjoying it. She gave him a cold glare, telling him she was in no mood to play games.

"Well, -plays with those metal balls thing, the one where you swing one ball and the ball at the end of the row bounces up- I plan on making the DAICHI empire a legacy, and you my dear, are going to help me."

"Money? You wanted me so I could make money for you?" Mai's voice was rising, "You selfish bastard!"

"Come now, it's only small thanks for saving your life." The man shrugged his shoulder like it was no big deal.

"Saving my life? SAVING MY LIFE? YOU RUINED MY LIFE!" –Ba-dump- -Ba-dump- -Ba-dump- The Zeelan clutched her chest in pain, but the anger she had inside was enough to keep her standing. "You won't have Eden, I won't let you!"

"I control the dice in this game Mai, you play by _my_ rules." Her Grandfather sneered and pressed a button, a door on the left opened and three men in suits appeared. "She's all yours, men."

Mai backed away at the group advancing towards her; she knew what they were going to do, "No…please!" The grin on their faces freaked her out, she had to escape! She ran to the door, "Please let me go! Please!" But Chace and Britten held their ground, even if they felt anything for her, they couldn't allow it to interfere with their job.

Mai felt someone's arm slither around her waist, she backed away and kicked the man hard in the –ahem-. Her fingers frantically tried to get the rope loose so she could use her hands; kicks alone were not enough to save her. Mai sent a vase smashing into a man's face and he was knocked out instantly.

"Why you!" Uh oh! Bad move! The girl leapt out of the man's grasp, "Gotcha!" She squirmed in another's grip, trying her best to get free. The ropes were eating at her wrists as she desperately tried to get them loose. –Ba-dump- -Ba-dump- -Ba-dump- -Ba-dump- 'No! Not now! Just one more tug!' And her right hand was free! She quickly threw the ropes off her and punched the guy hard in the stomach, causing him todouble over in pain.

"Chace! Britten! Stop her!" Her grandfather grew irritated that a mere girl could take out two of his men; it was time to bring out the big guns.

Britten came from behind and took hold of Mai's arms, "Sorry, boss's orders." Mai kicked him but it was no use, he was too strong and the pain inside was causing her attacks to weaken. The other men were tugging at her shirt as she struggled to keep her clothes on. She was crying now, and it didn't help that Liz, Britten, Chace and her Grandfather were watching her, watching her get gang raped without even helping when they could. 'Why…? I didn't do anything to you! WHY?'

-Ba-dump- -Ba-dump- -Ba-dump- -Ba-dump- -BA-DUMP- -BA-DUMP- -BA-DUMP-

In a burst of light!Her captorswere flung across the room, crashing into walls and furniture and falling limp on the floor. A lone figure stood standing, her eyes were an intense orangey-red, and she was glaring at Mai's Grandfather, "_I will NOT let you hurt this body._" But the voice didn't belong to Mai; this one was deeper, like that of a man.

Liz stood dumbfounded at the sight before her, '_That's_ Eden?'

"LIZ! THE SWITCH!"

The boss's voice broke her thoughts and she rushed to push a yellow button behind a painting which triggered the room's defence mode. Metal doors blocked the mahogany ones and the windows were slowly being shielded by metal plates when—

The glass shattered; Eden had thrown two energy balls at the window, one of them burning a hole in the metal. Suddenly! A tranquiliser shot out of nowhere and got Eden right on the calf. The girl turned to attack the one who had shot the tranquiliser but the anaesthetic was potent and the girl crumbled to the floor, her breathing slowing down.

"Get her legs." Britten threw Liz some rope and they both bounded the girl.

"_What did you do to me?_" Eden couldn't even struggle, he was numb all over.

"Even the great Eden is powerless against anaesthetics ay?" Mai's grandfather smirked at the girl as he handed Britten a small suitcase.

Eden watched as the guy tied a piece of cloth tightly around her shin, "_What are you doing?_"

"It's a blood sample. Don't worry, it won't hurt." He rubbed a little alcohol over the spot and inserted the needle, drawing up the crimson liquid and then taking the needle out. He filled two micro-tubes with the blood and closed the kit. "You'll be out soon. The anaesthetic will wear off a few hours later; you'll be able to move by then. Just sleep for now." He covered the girl's eyes and Eden fell into a deep slumber…

-Joseph's POV-

I can't …_That _was Eden? No way!

I shifted around in the dusty vent, crawling towards a fork in the vent where I could change my direction.

They're gonna use Eden? But they have no idea how powerful he is! Gotta warn Ozuma!

I scampered as fast as I could through the vents…

-Fast forward-

I jumped down from the opening into the vent, taking a big breath of fresh air. I fixed the screen and quickly ran to find Ozuma…

"Ozuma! They're gonna use Eden to build an empire! Mai was attacked then suddenly BOOM! Eden appeared! And he was glowing! And he fought back all of the men but then someone shot him with a tranquiliser and Eden fell and they—" Joseph hurriedly vomited out all that he had heard.

"Wha? Slow down!" Miriam cupped her brother's face in her hands, "Ok, talk."

"I shaw Eden, they're going to usssh him to take ovur the whorld." The boy sputtered. Miriam laughed and let go of his face; he rubbed his cheeks.

"So that's their plan huh?" Ozuma looked deep in thought, "We'll head back to the warehouse; we need time to plan this."

Sorry for the slow update. I actually finished this chapter a week ago but was too busy to post it up. I apaologise for making you guys wait. Hope you enjoyed it! Please review!


	5. Sacrifice

Chapter 42------Sacrifice

"Let's review this again."

The group were huddled around a table in a café. Ozuma scanned his surroundings; no one within earshot. He resumed, "The front guards change every four hours," the group glanced at the doors of DAICHI ENTERPRISES. Sure enough, two burly-looking men stood by the doorway, "the next one at ten pm. The time interval between the switch is five minutes, that's all you've got." He looked at Miriam who nodded her head.

"Once you're in, I'll disable the cameras on floors five and six. Wait for the guard to move from his post and then enter the restricted area. The guards in the building rotate their shifts within five minute intervals so be careful to move within the limit. Get to the control room on the same floor and disable the security and defence system with this. –hands her a CD- It'll activate once it's installed and destroy the system. Remove the disk and meet us at the stairs of B1. You've got thirty minutes to do all this from the time you enter the building."

"But won't they find out something's wrong once everything goes hay-wire?" Joseph questioned.

"They will, that's why we gotta keep our guard up. Anyway, we rescue Mai during the entire hubbub. Joseph and Dunga, you'll cover us. The police would've arrived by that time so they'd have to deal with them while we escape through the west-side exit, a backdoor which leads to the alley behind the entrance to the subway. Reita will be waiting for us there. Everyone knows what to do?"

They all nodded. Ozuma took a sip of his coke; all that talking had made his throat dry.

"The police know right?" Miriam questioned.

He put down his glass, "I told Reita to give them a call fifteen minutes before eleven. He's supposed to instruct them to be here at eleven thirty but I doubt they'll listen. You know those people, they're sure to rush here and bust in just like that. We've gotta get out before eleven fifteen the most."

"So now we wait?"

"Yup, now we wait…"

-Fast forward, DAICHI Building-

"How's she holding up?"

"So far so good. Initiating DNA-lock sequence." The man's fingers raced on the control board and finally punched the 'start' button.

The fluid in the tank bubbled. On her wrist, a pale blue liquid was pumped up the tube and into her body. The girl flinched, she could feel it. What were they doing to her? She wanted to know! She wanted to fight back! But somehow she couldn't move, somehow her body wasn't responding, it didn't feel like waking up at all…

The scientists analysed the monitor in front, her DNA structure was magnified to show the reaction. A part of her DNA turned a grey colour, then switched between blue to grey a few times before settling down on blue.

"She's fighting it," one of them commented. He turned the knob up to thirty percent when—

The security alarm rang throughout the building. In the lab, the lights flashed red, the computer was jammed, the DNA image had been invaded by blue squares which eventually filled the whole screen and the doors went berserk, sliding open and shut, open and shut. The scientists were frantic as their heads scanned every direction for danger.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?"

"MY EXPERIMENT!"

Suddenly! Four teenagers appeared at the door, "Miriam! Get the tank!"

The girl obeyed and launched Sharkrash at the tank; the blue blade knocked against the glass, leaving a small crack. "USE ABYSS FIRE!" The blade made a sharp turn on the floor and raced towards the tank; it leapt up and banged onto the glass. A crackling sound was heard as the crack spread out over the glass. Little by little, -crack- -crack- -crack- till suddenly! The glass shattered and a whole stream of water burst from the tank.

Miriam's job was done but the others weren't granted such an easy task. Joseph, Dunga and Ozuma were tearing down the place with their blades and it didn't help that the people had called for back-up.

"GET THEM!"

"MIRIAM! GET HER OUTTA HERE! WE'LL CATCH UP LATER!" Ozuma shouted over the alarm as he fought back a guard. "FLASH LEOPARD!"

Mai coughed persistently as the water drained out of the tank. She felt someone snap off the tubes on her wrists and ankles and wrap an arm around her shoulder.

"Mai, can you walk?"

Someone was talking to her but she could barely recognise the voice. Her body felt heavy, it if weren't for whoever was holding her, she would've collapsed on the floor. "-cough- -cough- Levian –cough- Levian wa doko?" She spoke as if something furry was blocking her throat.

"DUNGA! GET HER BEYBLADE! JOSPEH CAN'T HOLD UP MUCH LONGER!" Miriam ordered as she worriedly glanced at her brother. Joseph had used Vanishing Moot to create a defence shield surrounding the area they were in, protecting them from the fire and neutrino blasters. The boy was struggling and she knew they had to act quickly. "SHARKRASH! HELP FLASH LEOPARD!" Both blades set off to deal with the other guards, setting everything ablaze so as to immobilise them.

Dunga came back a few seconds later, "GOT IT! LET'S GO!" Joseph recalled his beyblade and Dunga ran out of the lab with Mai on his back; Miriam and Ozuma following closely behind them.

"FLASH LEOPARD! CROSS FIRE!"

"USE ABYSS FIRE, SHARKRASH!"

They commanded in unison. Both Flash Leopard and Sharkrash encircled the entrance of the lab, spinning so fast that they raced up against the wall and the ceiling, creating a wall of fire in between them and the guards.

"LET'S GO LET'S GO!"

-Granger residence-

The telephone rang and Tyson quickly answered it. The others crowded around him to see if it was news about Mai.

"Moshi moshi, Tyson desu. …What? You've found Mai?" The boys became alert at the sound of Mai's name.

"They found Mai? Where?" Rei pestered but Tyson raised a hand, signalling for him to keep quiet as he listened to the details on the phone. The boys watched as the bluenette nodded his head. Once, twice and then put down the receiver.

"She's at the DAICHI Building in Ikebukuro. Let's go!" They raced out of the living room, calling out to tell Grampa G where they were headed before running out the door…

-Back to Ozuma and gang-

"Hurry!" Joseph slammed the door behind them as the last person emerged into the alley.

"OZUMA!" Ozuma spotted a red car; Reita was standing next to it, waving.

They got to the car as fast as they could.

"Man! What happened to her?" Reita opened the door so that Dunga could push Mai into the car.

"She's bleeding!" Miriam cried as she noticed a red flower blooming on Mai's dress. (It's those plain hospital dresses that you wear, NOT the ones with the back exposed mind you :D) "Get me a cloth or something!"

"Use your bandana!" Joseph pointed out.

"Get in quick! We'll get her to a hospital!" Reita started the car.

"No! Take us to the warehouse." Ozuma objected.

"Whatever! Just hurry! Before the police come!"

The rest got in and the red car drove away from the scene…

-Tyson and gang-

Max paid the cab driver, slammed the door and ran to join his team mates. They were standing at the foot of a building on fire. The firemen were all over the place trying to subdue the orange monster as its flamed hands grabbed at concrete and wood.

Tyson spotted the inspector among the chaos and ran up to him, "So? Where's Mai?"

"We're still looking for her."

"You mean she's still in the building? Trapped in the FIRE?" Max looked alarmed.

"We don't know yet. The firemen are still looking."

"Sounna…" Hilary watched as the lower part of the building burned. 'Mai could be in there…' She shook her head slowly, refusing to believe the possibility. "No, she has to be alive! She has to!"

"Hilary…" Tyson took her hand in his.

"They HAVE to find her! They can't let her die!" Her eyes were frantic and her grip on Tyson's hand tightened.

The boy pulled her into a hug, "It's okay. They'll find her… We're all praying."

The group watched as the fire devoured the building piece by piece…

-Saint shields-

Mai was panting as Miriam tightened the cloth around her shoulder, "There. That should do it." She tucked in the excess cloth. "Feel better?"

Mai didn't reply, she continued huffing and puffing, beads of sweat dotted her forehead. Concerned, Miriam placed a hand on the girl's forehead. "She's running a fever. Take her to the hospital!"

"We'll treat her at the warehouse."

"We don't have the medicine! The pendant alone is not enough to cure her! She needs proper help!" The girl argued with her leader.

"If we take her to the hospital, the police will know where she is! I didn't go through all this trouble to lose my catch all right? I'm NOT letting her go!"

"SHIKATANAI YO! (It can't be helped)" She retorted. "If we lose her, we lose everything!"

The boy glared at her through the rear-view mirror and turned away. Miriam had a point, but it would mean that they'd have to give up Mai. 'And after all this, she wants us to just hand Mai over to them? No way!' He thought. 'I didn't risk my butt for nothing!'

'"If we lose her, we lose everything!"' Ozuma thought about what she had said. They could always capture her again right? It was just that this time, they had to give up the prize. But they could always claim it back someday? 'Argh! But when? HOW?'

"FINE! Take her to the hospital!" Ozuma spat. He hated doing it but he couldn't afford to let Mai die. He needed her to accomplish what they had set out to do: prevent Eden's resurrection.

"Hopsital, warehouse. Which is it?" Reita sounded irritated.

"Hospital…"

-Fast forward-

The Bladebreakers, Kenny and Hilary raced towards the emergency wing. 'Mai! Mai's alive!' They all thought. But alas! When they turned the corner, they were met with bad news…not to mention bad company.

"You! What're _you_ doing here?" Tyson sneered as he gazed upon Ozuma.

"Whaddya think?" The boy pushed himself off the wall, "Don't want our precious Mai to die now, do we?"

"TE ME! (Why you!)" Kai slammed Ozuma against the wall, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MAI?" Ozuma gritted his teeth in anger, 'This guy had no right!'

"LAY YOUR HANDS OFF OZUMA!" The blond giant shoved Kai away and Ozuma fell out of his grasp, rubbing his neck to remove the choking feeling Kai had inflicted on him.

The slate-haired captain was about to throw a punch at Dunga when Miriam came between the two. "ENOUGH! We're in a hospital for goodness sake!" She glared at the two and both boys reluctantly backed down. "I'll explain the situation with Mai but first you guys sit down. ALL OF YOU!"

The teenagers filled up the benches, the Bladebreakers sat on one side while the Saint shields occupied the other. Neither of them made eye contact with the other except for Miriam.

"So…how is she?" Rei asked awkwardly. After a brawl like that, neither of them knew how to respond appropriately.

"She's still in surgery."

"IN SURGERY?" Max exclaimed.

"Let me finish." Max sat back down in his seat and Miriam continued, "She was wounded on her shoulder when we tried to rescue her. We got here as fast as we could but she blacked out in the car. She had lost a lot of blood, not to mention she had a high fever, so they rushed her to emergency once we arrived."

"Rescue her? You weren't the ones who kidnapped her?" Rei questioned.

"Hah! We would've if it weren't for little miss compassion over here." Miriam and Rei threw a dirty look at Ozuma. "She was the one who insisted on taking Mai to the hospital. You're lucky one of us gave a damn about saving that Zeelan."

"Watch it, Ozuma! Unless you wanna take it outside?" Tyson threatened.

"Go ahead! I've been looking forward to thrashing your blade!" Ozuma instigated.

"YOU COCKY BAST—" But Hilary held Tyson back.

"Will you guys just stop it? The both of you! Get out of here if you're not gonna comply with the hospital rules!" Hilary shouted; she had lost her patience with them. "Some of us are worried about Mai and unless your bickering is gonna MAKE the situation any better; I suggested you leave if you can't shut up!"

"I suggest you ALL leave." A man dressed in green attire walked through the doors of the surgery hall. An abrupt silence fell over the teens as they turned to see who it was that spoke.

"How is Mai? Is she all right?" Kenny asked.

The man pulled off his rubber gloves and pulled down his face mask. "She'll be all right. –Everyone sighed with relief- We've removed the glass and stitched the wound but she's lost a lot of blood so she won't be waking up any time soon. We need to keep her here for a night to monitor her condition."

"Can we see her?"

"I'm afraid not. She needs to rest and you people are making far too much noise. I suggest you remain in the waiting lounge for the time being. We'll call you once everything's done. Oh, could you send someone to fill in her particulars at the nurse's counter while you're headed there?"

"Yeah, sure."

The surgeon nodded and pushed past the flapping doors, disappearing down the hallway.

The rest of them headed towards the waiting lounge. Surprisingly, the Saint shields went in another direction.

"Where're you guys going?" Max had a puzzled look on his face.

"We've already lost our quarry. No use hanging around right?" Joseph replied smugly and turned to follow his clan.

Just then! Miriam remembered something. "Dunga, the beyblade." She took the crystal blade and caught up with the Bladebreakers.

"Tyson!"

The boy spun around at the sound of his name. Miriam put her had out, Mai's blade rested on her palm. "Return this to her."

"Thanks…" He looked down at the beyblade in his hand, "Hey Miriam!" The girl turned around. "It was Mai's Grandfather wasn't it?"

She dropped her gaze to the floor, thinking, and then looked up at Tyson. "Yeah, it was…"

"MIRIAM!" Ozuma called and the girl ran off to catch up with the rest of her team.

'Mai's Grandfather…' Tyson thought as he stared at the bit-beast in the centre of the blade.

I'm so sorry i took too long to update this. I'm kinda searching for inspiration right now, something that will inspire me to create the wonderful storyline. But sadly, this muse wil have to wait cos exams are nearing. The next chapt is gonna take awhile but please review ok? Please PLEASE?


	6. Selfish…huh?

Chapter 43------Selfish…huh?

_My Day_

_About the rain pelting on the window_

_The sun has lost its shine_

_About the inconsiderate man_

_Who took the last can of grape wine_

_About the girl lying on the bed_

_All of us are praying that she's not dead_

_About Tyson drumming his fingers_

_Rei making himself cosy on the couch_

_About Max in his green jumper_

_Kai in his flout_

_About me and my pencil_

_There's nothing to do_

_About waiting for you_

_To wake up_

_Please do_

Hilary sighed and put the pencil down. She stared at the poem, reading it once through. Then contemplated for a bit, and finally crushed it and threw it in the waste paper basket. She took a glance at the bed, the beeping confirmed her thoughts. Mai was safe. They didn't have to worry so much. She was just asleep.

_She_ needed sleep.

The brunette plopped her head on the table, and blinked hard to shake off the sleepiness. 'How long more,' she thought, 'How long more…'

But her prayers were answered and little by little Mai began to respond. "She's waking up!" They all exclaimed.

The girl rubbed her sleepy eyes and shifted around in her bed, but a piercing pain in her shoulder, sent her wincing instead.

"Hey, easy now."

"How do you feel?"

"Are you hungry? Want me to call the nurse?"

Comforting words; such comforting words. Mai smiled, she had woken up to familiar faces, faces that she could trust, faces which belonged to people who would protect her. She was finally safe. "What happened?" She mumbled, pointing at the bandages on her left shoulder.

"You got cut by a piece of glass. The doctors stitched it up for you." Max replied jovially. "Want something to eat?"

Mai shook her head, "Levian wa?" Tyson remembered, took the shiny blade out of his pocket and handed it to the girl. Levian, he was all right. She hadn't lost him.

'You…you said you'd protect me…' She stared hard at the bit-chip.

Levian: _…_

'I could've died…You PROMISED you'd protect me…but were where you? Where were you when I was in trouble? When I was beaten? When I was ashamed?' Mai's fingers clenched the blade as she recalled the memories. Tighter and tighter till the diamond coating cut into her skin causing red lines to form on her fingers.

"Hey! Stop it!" Hilary snatched away the beyblade.

"Huh?" Mai seemed to have snapped out of her subconscious state. She stared at her fingers, they were bleeding. What was she doing? What was she thinking?

Rei grabbed a handful of tissue from the dispenser and took hold of Mai's hand, pressing hard to stop the bleeding. "What were you thinking? Tyson, go call a nurse."

"I don't know…" The girl muttered, "I just…" she shook her head.

"You are all right, right?" Kenny asked with a raised brow. Mai hummed a reply.

Just then, a stout middle-aged woman entered the room. Her curly blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail which bounced up and down as she moved around the bed, checking the readings of the monitor and dripper. Finally, she stopped beside Mai, "How do you feel, honey?" she asked as her hands busied themselves with opening a first aid kit.

"Tsk tsk. How'd you cut yourself? You've already lost a lot of blood and the first thing you do when you wake up is lose some more blood?" The lady wiped a damp cotton wool over the cuts and applied the antiseptic.

"Sorry…" Mai muttered and hung her head. "Sorry…I'm sorry…" Patches of dark blue bloomed on the blue blanket, drop by drop.

"Are you crying?" Hilary placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. She tilted her head to the side to see under Mai's bangs and saw that those deep blue eyes were watery. "Why are you crying? Does it hurt?" But Mai shook her head. She blinked back the tears but they just kept coming.

The guys were at a loss and the nurse was no help either, she had scurried out of the room once she had finished treating Mai. They exchanged confused glances, why was she crying? "Mai? What's wrong?" Rei questioned, a little worried for the girl as he placed a hand on her arm.

As if his touch had singed her, Mai pulled back immediately. She didn't want any men touching her, not after what they had done… Their grip, their filthy hands tracing her skin; she remembered the feeling…that slimy irksome feeling that would not go away.

"Mai." Hilary held her arms, "Look at me, tell me what's wrong?"

Mai looked up to meet hazel eyes. Hilary loosened her grip, Mai's eyes were streaming, and she was biting her lip as though trying so hard to hold back. "Did something happen? Tell me, tell me!" Mai looked at her with hurt eyes and finally gave in. She sobbed hard on the girl's shoulder, feeling Hilary pat her back in attempts to console her. "It's all right. There's no need to cry. It's all right."

"He…was never there…No one was there!" Mai said in between sobs 'Levian wasn't there…No one helped me… No one bothered…they just watched…they were all just watching…watching me get hurt, raped…and they didn't care. They didn't care!'

"Who wasn't there?" Hilary felt the girl shake her head. She lifted Mai off her body and looked at her straight in the eyes, "You have to tell us what happened. We can help you." Mai looked away, they couldn't help her. No one could. Her life was so screwed up, it was beyond repair. "You can't…"

"Yes we can! Just tell us!"

Mai glared at her and spoke through gritted teeth, "Then can you rid me of Eden? Make my Grandfather disappear? Were you there when they tried to RAPE me? All of them just bloody stood there watching! Nobody helped me!" Hilary's eyes widened at the sound of that word. 'She was raped?' She looked at her flabbergasted.

"Then what good is it to keep it all inside?" Kai emerged from behind Tyson and Rei. "Do you know how long we've been worried sick about you? And now you're making us worry again because you refuse to let us help you? Stop being so selfish!"

'Selfish!' Mai's head jerked.

"Didn't someone decide that she would fight for herself? Didn't someone say she wanted to live? How can you be strong when the only things you have are hate and negativity!"

"Give her a break," Rei defended, "How do expect her to react after an experience like that? I'd be terrified too if I were her."

Mai watched the two boys argue. Kai said some things, Rei said some things. "All she does is bring herself down! And she brings others down along with her!" Kai's eyes locked with hers, "I'd rather quit than be in a team with a weakling like you." With that, he stormed out of the room.

KAI'S POV

I walked out of the hospital.

She's too much! Always seeking people's sympathy, blaming them if she got hurt? What the hell! And those guys keep comforting her? They're only making her even more dependent on us!

I flagged a taxi and got in, "Sasakura Lane, number 84." The driver gave a nod and drove off.

'I wanna live,' 'Fight for myself,' Hmph! What bullshit! She'll never change…

END OF POV

-Fast forward-

"Lights out, Ms Takuya." The nurse called from the door and flipped the switch.

"Thanks!" Mai's fingers played with the buttons on the side of the bed, 'No, not this one…no...no...ahah!' The bedside lamp flickered on.

She looked at the ceiling, the shadows cast over the wall. She avoided the dark areas; too many _things_ came out from dark corners in horror movies. Hence, the bedside lamp.

'"And now you're making us worry again because you refuse to let us help you? Stop being so selfish!" …Selfish huh?' Mai rolled over on her side, 'He doesn't know what it feels like.'

Levian: _But he DOES know, and you know he does_

'He doesn't know everything. Kai…stop talking like you know me.'

Levian: _It's because he cares for you_

Mai snorted at this.

Levian: _Fine, don't believe me. But you should start standing up for yourself, don't be too reliant on others. Remember what you said? 'I—_

'—trust no one but myself. Yeah yeah, I know. But when you think about it, can people really stand being alone?'

'Humans are social creatures, leave a baby by itself and it'll not survive longer than a year…And yet, we strive so hard to be independent creatures. We think the world owes us a living but in reality, the world owes us nothing. We're only mere insignificant beings, the world can do without us; just like it did in the past… Maybe Eden was right; we do not deserve this land.'

Levian: _That's not true. One person may mean nothing to the world, but he or she means the world to someone else. Are you gonna let that person down by giving up on yourself? If so, you're just like Kai said, selfish_

'Heh…Who do I mean the world to? That's what I'd like to know…' And the girl drifted off to sleep.

-Really fast forward-

"Yoz Mai!" Grampa G greeted her with a wide grin as she stepped out of the taxi, "How's ya shoulder?"

"Still hurts a lil'" She moved her shoulder. Yup, it still hurt.

Mai entered the familiar house and headed straight for her room—

'!' "Where's all my stuff?" The whole dojo was bare. No more futon, no clothes. She checked her secret hiding place. 'Phew, it's still here.' She placed the jewel in her pocket, folded the letters and tucked them under her belt. She pulled her shirt down so that it would cover up any evidence of it.

"Where are all my things?" She stopped Max along the corridor.

"Huh? Oh that. They're in my room. Grampa Granger moved it by request of Kai."

'Kai…I should've known…' Mai frowned, he was always getting in the way. She climbed the stairs to the boys' bedroom and found her things lying on Tyson's bed. "And my clothes?"

"All neatly lyin' in the cupboard." Grampa G answered from the doorway, "Don't worry about Tyson, he's taking his parents' room."

"But…isn't this too much? I mean, I can –"

"The guys are worried for yer safety. Take heart, they're doing it to protect you."

Mai didn't press on the issue. She didn't want to be labelled as 'selfish' again. She gave him her thanks and settled into the room. She wrinkled her nose at the unfamiliar scent of 'boy'. 'Sharing a room with three guys…must be every girl's dream…Yeah right.' She rolled her eyes and flopped onto the lower bunk of a double-decker bed. Just then, her roommates entered the bedroom.

"So, you'll be bunking with us from now on." Mai felt the edge of the bed sink with someone's weight.

"Hn."

"What? No violent objections? I'm surprised." Rei gave a chuckle.

"_Someone_ decided on it for my protection. I have no say…" Kai cast a sidelong glance at her.

"Suit yourself then. But I warn you, the room can get a bit messy."

"I'll make you clear it up then." Mai replied in a light-hearted manner as she nudged Rei's shoulder with her foot.

"Get your blades," Kai tapped Max and Rei on the shoulder, "We'll train downstairs…"

Mai rolled onto her back and stood up, she was about to take Levian from the desk table when a hand shot out and took it instead. "Stay here. I'll have Kenny fix your beyblade."

"You can't –!" Mai moved her hand in protest but it only caused her shoulder to sting with pain.

Kai's eyes narrowed and looked at her shoulder. Fine, Mai got the message. She'd stay put… albeit reluctantly. "Hai…" She mumbled.

Mai watched from the bedroom window as the boys took turns to battle it out. 'They've improved…and he's more focused now.' She eyed Tyson's blade as it spun around in the beydish, smoothly avoiding Dranzer's attempts to tackle it.

"Dranzer! Flaming Sabre!" The huge phoenix charged at the blue Dragon, its flailing wings crackling with amber flames.

"Dragoon!"

The white blade swerved to the right, 'Not a bad move.' Mai thought. Dragoon tackled Dranzer from behind and Kai's blade moved dangerously to the edge of the dish. Mai saw his face twitch, 'Oh? He's not happy. Let's see what he does.' A smirk appeared on her face. Knowing Kai, he'd never let himself lose to someone he found less superior than himself.

With a final blow from Dranzer's Dranzer Volcano, Dragoon was knocked out of the dish. 'I knew it.' Mai smiled, feeling satisfied with the outcome of her prediction.

"Great battle, Kai."

The Captain gave his usual grunt of a reply.

"Hey Mai! Why don't you join us?" Tyson called from below while the rest looked up at the girl sitting by the window.

"My shoulder! It still hurts so I can't launch properly!"

Mai managed to pick up a soft "Oh" from the group. "Never mind then!" Max shouted. She removed herself from the window seat, she had seen enough for today. She scanned the room; she needed to do something to release her from utter boredom. She opened the cupboard, 'Clothes…beyblading stuff…books. Hm? What's this?' She pulled out what seemed like a picture. At the back it wrote:

_Dear Max,_

_Here's a picture of me at the site. Sorry I couldn't visit you for X'mas. Hope you are doing fine._

_Love,  
__Mom._

Mai flipped the picture to the front, 'So she's Max's mom huh?' The blonde-haired woman was standing beside what seemed like pillars but something in the background made Mai gasp. 'This… This is—!'

Heys! Thanks so much to all those who reviewed! Reebiegirl, watermiral, glam-kitten and the many more readers out there XD! Somehow I've found time to update my stories. I'm doing chpt 44 now so keep yr fingers crossed!

blu: Woo! ahaha, okay, that was so random. REVIEW!


	7. Fun for Two

Chapter 44------Fun for Two

She pulled out what seemed like a picture. At the back it wrote:

_Dear Max,_

_Here's a picture of me at the site. Sorry I couldn't visit you for X'mas. Hope you are doing fine._

_Love,  
__Mom._

Mai flipped the picture to the front, 'So she's Max's mom huh?' The blonde-haired woman was standing beside what seemed like pillars but something in the background made her gasp. 'This… This is—!'

Heavy footsteps came running down the stairs, "MAX!"

"Yeah?" He saw Mai cling onto the pillar for support as she caught her breath. She held up a picture in her hand. "Where'd you get that?" He plucked the photograph from her hand.

"Where –huh- -huh- is this place?"

"What place?"

"The place in the picture!" Mai demanded.

"Uhh…America I think," Max scratched the back of his head as he tried to recall, "why?"

"That lady in the picture is your mom right?" Max nodded his head. "And we're going to America for the American tournament right?" Again, the boy nodded his head.

"What're you driving at?" Tyson asked curiously.

'We're going to America and Max's mom knows where the place is. Good, I have a lead, that's good.' But Tyson's voice broke her train of thought, "Hey, we're you listening?"

"Can I meet your mom when we get to America?"

"Sure! She'll be picking us up at the airport. Are you interested in archaeology too?" He looked at her with big bright eyes.

"No, it's not that. I want to ask her about the place in the picture, and if it's possible, I'd like to go there."

"We're going to America to compete, not frolic around with you on one of your silly adventures…" Kai commented.

Mai shot a dirty look at him but didn't say a word. She turned her attention to the rest who were _willing_ to hear her out. "This emblem –points to background in picture-, two snakes intertwined around a staff, is the mark of the Norwings; they come from North America. Maybe that's where we'll find the next jewel, in Norwing country."

"Cool!" Max exclaimed. "Does that make me a Norwing then?"

"Uhh…I don't know…" Mai fumbled.

"That's great then!" Tyson pounded a fist on his left hand.

"Really?"

"Yeah! The faster you collect the jewels, the faster you resurrect Eden and return back to your normal life with Riya." The bluenette explained. "Wouldn't that be great?"

'Riya…' "Yeah," Mai forced a smile, "that'd be swell." Riya was her enemy, the one competing against her to resurrect Eden; it was either her or him who would decide Eden's fate. But…could their lives really get back to normal after everything was done?

Mai couldn't say…

"Hey dudes! Lunch is ready." Grampa Granger appeared leaning on the frame of the paper shoji screen.

And you could've guessed what Tyson's immediate response was. He was the first to sit at the table, "Hurry up! I'm starving!" It was customary for one to wait till everyone was gathered at the table before tucking into the food and the oldest had to take the first bite before anyone else could start.

"Keep your pants on. I'm comin' I'm comin'" Mai laughed at the man as he ambled over to his seat. "Itadakimasu."

"Itadakimasu." Everyone chorused.

'Ahh…delicious tamago (omelette). How long has it been since I ate this?' Mai savoured the sweet taste, rolling her tongue over its fluffy texture. In fact, ever since she had been kidnapped, she was never really fed well. 'Wait, did I even eat anything in the first place?' She pondered over the thought but decided to let it slide. "Do you guys have school tomorrow?"

"Nope," Max scanned his plate, deciding on what to eat next. "School's out for us cos' we're going for the tournament."

"Oh yeah, speaking of school. Mai, d'you know how much of your homework I had to do while you we're gone? This much!" Tyson made a wide gap with his arms.

"Why?" She was amused at the thought of Tyson, lazy-and-perpetually-hungry-with-less-than-a-quart-of-human-intelligence-in-his-brain Tyson _actually_ slaving over homework!

"You couldn't expect us to tell everyone you'd gone missing, could you? So anyway we had to lie about why you weren't coming to school…And I got stuck doing your homework for you! If it weren't for Hilary offering to do your Home Economics homework, I'd still be sewing like some Granny in a rocking chair. You owe me, Mai." And he bit off the end of an asparagus.

The girl let out a bemused laugh, "Fine, let me know when I can return the favour."

The rest of the day was spent packing for America. The foursome had a lot of fun packing their clothes. Apparently, there was some strange apparel in the cupboard…

"Ahahaha! Red dragon boxers? (For the Chinese, red and dragons are symbols of good luck) AHAHAH! You're killing me!" Max wiped a tear from his eye as he bent over in laughter.

"Give me that!" Rei snatched the boxers and placed it nicely in the luggage.

"Hey, let's see what Kai's got okay?" Mai smirked as she dug through the pile of clothes in Kai's section. "Oooh, this is nice." She fished out a pair of black baggy jeans, "You should pack this." Se threw the pants over. It landed on top of his head.

Kai: "…"

"Tsk tsk, are you really _that_ small?" Tyson held up something stringy and Mai's face went incandescent with embarrassment. The rest of the guys laughed, even Kai couldn't hold back a chuckle.

"You pervert! Hand it over!"

"Haha, revenge for the homework!" He jumped over the luggage in attempt to get away from the fuming girl.

"No…don't wave it in the air…" The poor girl buried her face in her hands. 'This is so embarrassing…Arrgh!' "Tyson! Hand it over NOW!" She barked.

"Okay." He had tortured the girl enough and threw it across the room. Mai caught it and immediately stuffed it into her luggage. "I didn't know you liked to wear the lacy ones." He smirked.

"I don't!"

The boys had their last laughs and went back to packing.

-Silence…-

"Do you think… Riya's gonna participate?" Mai said it mostly to herself but the boys managed to hear it.

"Maybe," Rei shrugged his shoulders, "You…miss him?"

"I miss all of them," She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I mean, if there's a chance I'd get to see them there then…"

Rei nodded. The orange glow in the room caused Mai to look out the window. Outside, the rooftops were glazed with a golden shine and the clouds were a soft yellow. The zephyr coming in made it all the more breathtaking as she watched the sun set through the curtain frame. 'It's so natural…' Indeed, to see something like this in a concrete city was worth stopping for and admiring its simplicity. And just like a mirage disappears in a blink of an eye, the sky was grey, darkening with every minute that ticked by. A gust of wind kicked up the curtains and Mai took in the fresh smell of mint-y grass, 'Looks like it's gonna rain tonight.'

-Fast forward-

-Dream-

_Grandfather…_

_You were smiling; you ruffled my hair, told me everything was going to be okay…_

_Spencer and Bryan, they were battling…And Tala, my best friend, the only one I could trust in the Abbey. He smiled too, stretching out his hand, asking me to come join them…_

_And then I'm running down the corridor, pulling Tala by the hand. _

_Hurry!_

_They were coming after us. But I was getting out of here and I wanted Tala to come with me. Behind us the guards shouted while the Abbey burned from within._

_You told me you can't run anymore…You were clutching your leg._

_No! We'll make it! C'mon!_

_I heard gunshots. Voltaire was shouting to get us. We were reaching the exit. Soon, soon we'd be free._

_I burst threw the door and entered the frosty night._

_We did it! We're free!_

_Running; running through the snow which went up to our knees. And then you fell…_

_I turned around and saw you lying in the snow. _

_Tala!_

_I ran back to help you but saw them coming, shouting for us, carrying guns…They reached you first and I couldn't do a thing. I wanted to save you…but I had to save myself._

_You shouted my name but I couldn't come…I couldn't come…I ran ahead, turning back to see you clawing the ground…shouting my name, asking me to help you._

_I can't help you…sorry…I bit my lip, forcing back the tears as I heard you shouting_

_Kai! KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!_

-End of dream-

Kai's eyes shot open and immediately, the soft pounding of the rain filled his ears. 'Yume ka… (It was just a dream…)' He sat up and ran his hands over his face.

"Bad dream?"

Shocked, he turned in the direction of the voice. There Mai sat by the window, a blanket wrapped snugly around her. He noticed that the window was a tad open and he knew the reason why. The light from the street lamps outside fell softly on her cheek. Her head was tilted; she was waiting for an answer.

"Yeah…" Kai sat cross-legged and stared at the sheets where the blanket sunk in between his legs.

"Wanna talk about it?"

Mai took Kai's lack of response as a 'no'.

"What're you doing up?" He talked down to the bed, still refusing to look at her.

"Hm?" Mai smiled and rested her chin on the bar of the double-decker bed, looking dreamily outside the window as the rain poured. "I wanted to watch the rain. –chuckles- Actually, I couldn't sleep."

Kai nodded slightly. It wasn't like him, but somehow he wanted to talk to her more. Would she think it strange if he started talking longer than his usual short, sarcastic sentences? Fortunately, Mai saved him the trouble.

"Sorry… if I'm a burden to you."

'!' "No…it's just, sometimes you're so stubborn, you do stupid things." Kai lay back down in his bed, his arms crossed behind his head as he listened to the pitter-patter of the rain.

"I know," Mai turned to face him, "But you're not so easy to read yourself." She got up and returned to her bed.

"Hmph, is that so…"

"If you were out there walking in the rain… and you saw somebody, would you know that person was actually crying? Or would the rain trickling down her face mask those tears?

"It's like that with you. You choose to hide yourself behind this cold outer-image… A lot of people do that to protect themselves. What is it that you don't want people to see? What is it you're afraid of?"

'What I don't want people to see? Heh, there'd be too many to name…so that no one will take advantage of me…I won't go back to being the kid who ran away.'

"Kai?"

The boy turned over, facing his back to the girl. He didn't like this; she was diving in too deep. He wasn't going to divulge everything to her; some things had to be kept private. "Go back to sleep, you won't recover if you keep staying up late…"

Mai sighed, "You're always like that. No one can ever get close to you because you keep pushing them away."

Kai turned his head, a smile tugged at his lips but he forced it down, "So you want to get close to me? Is that what're you're saying?"

"Not close in _that_ way," she huffed. "As in, no one can understand you…If people understood you, then they'd know when to keep their distance, so you don't get cranky all the time… You make people feel like you hate them." Kai watched her turn to her side, her hair spilling over the pillow as she pulled the covers over her legs. "I'm going back to sleep. G'night."

"Close the window."

"Close it yourself if you're not happy…" Mai replied coolly.

Lazy to get up, Kai went back to facing the wall, 'Stubborn girl...' He shifted around in the bed till he found a comfortable position; the springs creaking noisily beneath him. He thought about what Mai had said, she sounded like she really meant every word… 'Hmph, so what if no one understands me…I don't care…'

'Right?'

-Next day-

"Morning, Grampa Granger. Is Mai up yet?" Hilary took of her shoes and placed them to one side.

"Yep, she's watchin' TV in the livin' room."

"_Windy card! FLY!_"

"Hey, how're you feeling?"

"_Sakura! Look out!_"

"_WHHOOOAAA!_"

Hilary waved a hand in front of her, "Heeellloooo?"

Mai swatted it away, "Let me watch this part first." Her eyes were glued to the TV; Sakura had just obtained the Water.

The brunette offered her a box of Pocky and Mai absent-mindedly pulled out a stick and nibbled the tip, "Thanks."

Finally, Card captor Sakura ended and Hilary took this opportunity to pick up on where she left off. "Aren't you a little too old for cartoons?"

"Anime is _not_ cartoons," Mai replied sternly, pulling another stick of chocolate pocky out of the box.

"So how's your arm?"

"Okay. It's getting better I think." Mai glanced at her shoulder and frowned at the thin scar. 'I hope it'll go away…'

"So, where're the guys?" Hilary looked around the house. Not a teenage boy in sight.

"They went to Kenny's."

Suddenly Hilary's face brightened, "Hey! Let's go over there!"

Then Mai's face brightened, "No! I have an even better idea!" The girl's eyes twinkled, "Let's go there dressed up as guys!" 'I get a chance to try on the guys' clothes! AHAHAH!' "Tyson's got some nice clothes, c'mon." And the two girls raced upstairs.

An hour later…

"Nah, tuck it out a bit more." Hilary pulled the corner of her shirt so that part of it hung out, revealing the belt buckle. Mai stood back to examine, "Perfect!"

Hilary and Mai had both thrown on jeans. Mai found a nice brown t-shirt that had eagle wings spread over the front and topped the look with a black wrist band and a beanie to hide her hair. Hilary on the other hand got a belt to hold the pants in place, a black shirt and tucked her hair under a black cap. They didn't care who the clothes belonged to, so long as it looked nice on them.

"Ready?"

"Ready!"

The two burst out laughing, put on their shades and walked out the door, "We'll be back soon Grampa G!"

-Kenny's house-

Kenny sat at his desk, tweaking Mai's beyblade with a small screwdriver. "Done." He placed the screwdriver back in the tool box.

"Hey Kenny, whaddya think? Cool huh?" Tyson held up his new blade, equipped with a new defence ring.

"Well, we won't know how good it is till we test it out," the boy replied as wiped his glasses with the flap of his shirt.

"C'mon, we'll train at the same time." Tyson held the door open for everyone to walk out.

"KEN-CHAN! YOUR FRIENDS ARE HERE TO SEE YOU!" A woman called from downstairs.

"Huh? I don't remember inviting anyone else…" Curious, Kenny went downstairs, along with the rest of the Bladebreakers.

At the doorway stood two boys, "Hey Kenny! Where's ma blade you promised da other day?" Mai spoke in a gruff voice.

"Who're you?"

"Aww, c'mon. Don't go actin' like ya fergot." Hilary led Kenny out the restaurant door, "We made a deal remember ba? You fix our blades and we'll drop that thing ya did with Susan."

blu: Remember Kenny's parents own a ramen shop?

'Susan?' Mai stifled a laugh but continued with her macho image.

"Susan? B-but I don't even know a Susan! Who ARE you guys?" Kenny was starting to panic as the two boys took hold of his arms.

"Hey! If Kenny says he doesn't know you then leave him alone!" Tyson shouted.

"Stay outta this, tubby! Kenny here owes us our beyblades and we ain't leavin' till we get it." Mai sneered, pulling Kenny away from the guys. "C'mon Kenny, cough it up, give us our blades and we'll let Susan go."

"Who the hell is Susan?" Max leaned in towards Rei.

"Beats me." The neko-jin shrugged his shoulders; he was just as confused as his blond friend.

"I really don't know a Susan!" Kenny wailed.

'HAHAHAHA, this is getting good!' Hilary thought.

"Leave him alone!" Rei pushed Mai. She was a bit taken back by his action. She never expected Rei to do anything like that; it was Kai or Tyson who looked the sort. 'So this is the way guys play it huh?' Mai grinned and directed a punch at Rei who jumped back.

"Gary! Take Kenny back! I'll deal with this." 'Let's see how good Rei is at sparring.' Mai threw another punch, Rei blocked, another punch, blocked again. Mai raised her fists once more but then—

'!' A knee jabbed into Rei's side and he stumbled back, clutching his side.

"REI!" Max ran to help his friend.

"Is that the best you've got, _Rei_?"

"You know,' the boy steadied himself, 'you punch…like a girl!" At that instant, he leapt behind her and –

"OKAY! STOP! STOP! DON'T' HIT MY SHOULDER!" A familiar voice came out from the boy's mouth as he backed away, his hands raised in defence.

"What?"

The boy pulled off the beanie to reveal a head of long blackish-brown hair which fell to her waist.

"Mai?"

Mai pulled off her shades and smirked, "Gotcha!"

Rei stood there, jaw open…it was Mai? ALL ALONG?

"No wonder that shirt looked familiar…" Max rubbed his chin. Tyson just stood there, not knowing whether he was supposed to be angry or surprised…

The other boy came out with Kenny walking behind him. Hilary pulled off the shades and the cap, "Yoz!"

"You? and you?" Tyson pointed to the both girls, "Hey! That's my cap!"

"My jeans…" Kai muttered.

Mai shook Rei arm, "Hey, you okay? It was just a joke."

"I could have seriously hurt you…"

She smiled, "I'd be an idiot if I let that happen right?" Rei laughed and she laughed too. "Now how about we all go back to Kenny's place and get some ramen?"

"Can't argue with that." Tyson said. Hilary clucked her tongue, "You can't argue with anything that has to do with food…"

"No, I can't argue with anything that has to do with food _and_ you." With that he took her hand and the two of them lead the way back to the shop.

Mai looked like she had been betrayed. What happened to girl power? WHAT HAPPENED? Hilary got swept away just like that –snaps fingers-.

"Can't they just get married already?" Mai's eyes narrowed in irritancy as she shoved her hands into her pockets and walked by Rei's side.

The raven-haired boy chuckled, "Soon, soon."

I know i said i'd update sooner but i've got exams so here, i managed to post it during one of my breaks. Hope you enjoyed it!


	8. True Colours

Chapter 45------True Colours

'_Flight AM907 from Tokyo to New York has just landed. All passengers please proceed to belt 16 to collect your baggage.'_

'Belt 16…Where's belt 16?' Mai walked along side Max, pulling the trolley bag behind her. He offered her a box of jelly beans, "Got any grape-flavoured ones?" She wasn't going to take her chances with any other flavour; an orange-flavoured one had left a bad taste in her mouth once, including a bad first impression. From then on, it was either grape-flavoured or none at all.

Max picked out a purple bean and Mai popped it into her mouth, "Thanks."

The group waited at the belt, scanning the flow of bags. "I see mine, yours is coming too, Kenny." Rei informed.

This time Mai was flying solo. Hilary couldn't come with them because of school so she was left with the guys, and being the only girl in the group kind of sucked sometimes…

Like during the 12 hour plane ride…

-Flashback…-

"Oh man that was so cool! Did you see the way he kicked the ball into the net? I tell you know one can beat David Beckham." Max turned to Rei and then to Mai, looking for an approval.

Mai smiled wryly, "Uh…yeah." She hated soccer, couldn't understand the point of the game…24 men (blu: is it 24 men? Pardon me if I'm wrong, I'm not a soccer fanatic, the most I watch is the world cup :p) on the field chasing after one ball like chickens, what idiots…

"C'mon, England's gonna lose. Germany's defence is too strong." Rei argued as the both of them watched the plasma screen fixed to the back of the chair in front of them.

"Hey, David Beckham is like THE best in the world! He—"

It was here that Mai decided she couldn't take it anymore. What was with guys and soccer? She crammed the pillow over her head and tried to sleep. She checked her watch, '5 more hours? Ugh…'

-End of flashback-

Mai pulled her luggage off the conveyer belt and dumped it on the trolley. The last baggage was loaded onto the trolley and the group headed out of the arrival hall.

"Max! Over here, honey!"

"MOM!"

A tall blonde woman gave her son a tight squeeze across the shoulder, "You've grown so tall! I can barely ruffle your hair." She looked up, smiling at her son's face.

"Mom…" Mai whined. The others wore a smug look, 'Mommy's boy,' they all thought.

But on the contrary, Max hardly saw him mom so he was no 'mommy's boy'. Plus, their relationship had only started improving after the American tournament 3 years ago. At that time, Max's mother was on the side of their opponent, the All Starz, so Max didn't like the idea that his mother was working on new beyblade technology to defeat the Bladebreakers. (blu: all of this was in season 1 of beyblade so it's a recap for you guys) Thankfully, with time, they managed to patch up their relationship.

The group started walking, "Where's Dad?"

"He's at home, he's working on a project right now but he'll join us for dinner later." Mrs Tate sighed, "It's so good to see you boys again. And you brought a friend along with you." She was looking at Mai who nodded her head slightly.

"Mai's our new team member."

"Well it's nice to meet you," the woman's pearly whites gleamed, "finally a girl to break the rough image, no?"

"Yeah." Mai smiled.

"Anyway, the taxis are waiting at the drop-off point; you'll all be staying at the institute."

"Institute?"

"My mom works at the Hindenburg Institute of Beyblade Research and Technology." Max informed Tyson who let out an "Ohh."

They reached the drop off point, "Max can ride in the car with me so there's room for one more, any takers?" Mrs Tate offered.

The rest exchanged glances, who was gonna take up the offer? "I'll join you," Tyson finally said.

"So we'll see the rest of you at the Institute then." She gave them a casual wave as she prepared to turn around.

Mai, Kenny, Rei and Kai thanked her and got into the taxis…

-Fast forward-

The two taxis passed the gate of the Hindenburg Institute and Mai saw a huge building come into view. 'Are wa Hindenburg Institute ka? (Is that the Hindenburg Institute?)' In front of the drop-off point stood a magnificent installation art piece formed from pieces of metal and wire to resemble an eagle perched on a branch. The building itself was very modern with your usual glass panels and huge grey pillars; she could see a shiny lobby area too as the taxis careened into the drop-off point. Mrs Tate, Tyson and Max were already waiting for them.

"Oh never mind the bags, I'll get someone to send them up to your dorms. Carl, could you move these bags up to dorms 16 and 17 please? Thank you."

"Miss?"

"Uh…okay?" Mai reluctantly let go of her baggage, she wasn't used to such hospitality.

"Kore wa ii ka? Datte… (Is this ok? Because…)" She spoke in Japanese to Kenny so that they wouldn't understand.

The boy chuckled, "It's fine. When you travel around more often, you'll get used to it." He quickly turned to Mrs Tate, "Sorry for the trouble," and bowed slightly. Mai saw this and quickly followed suit, Rei, Kai and Tyson as well.

"Haha. It's fine, really. And please, call me Judy. Mrs Tate sounds a bit too formal."

"O se wari nari masu. (Thank you for taking care of us)"

"O se wari nari masu."

Once again the group bowed.

"Hmm, looks like we still have some time before lunch. Would you like a tour of the building? I can show you the places where you boys can train for the upcoming tournament or would you much rather prefer to retire to your dorms first?"

-Fast forward-

"We run a top notch facility over here. The kids come from all over the country to train but we choose only the best ones to handle the new technology." Judy explained as the group passed a training room while travelling down the travelator. (you know those long flat escalators they have at airports? Yeah, those are called travelators, well in my country at least)

"Feel free to use the beyblading facilities here. I'm sure you'll find some _quite_ interesting."

"I heard you invented a new beyblade model, one with a greater centre of gravity? (Ahaha, I owe this info to my friends who take physics! Kudos to them XD!)" Tyson questioned.

"Why yes. The GX275 can achieve maximum stability considering its narrow tip so it can stay balanced for a longer period of time."

"Cool!" The bluenette exclaimed. "Will we get to see it?" The group passed a research lab and Judy pointed out that they were now working on a beyblade which could use magnetism to repel the opponent's blade; all in all, it was a way to improve the blade's defence.

"Cheh, bakari da. (It's so stupid.) Using new technology to have an advantage over your opponent? Beyblading is about the soul of the blader and the beyblade working together, not some machine which does all the work… Is this the future of beyblading?"

"Even so, can you stop mankind from fulfilling their greed and achieving the impossible?"

'!' Mai didn't expect Judy to hear her. 'Mankind from fulfilling their greed and achieving the impossible…Grandfather…' "But, what about talent? What about passion? What about bit-beasts? A beyblade is not a machine; it has a soul of its own."

"Yamenasai, Mai. (Stop it)" Kai spoke sternly.

"As man advances further into the future, naturally he would want to achieve greater things; _that_ is inevitable. We may not like it, but it can't be helped. Here, we do it for the industry." Judy answered, her eyes expressing sympathy for the girl.

Mai gritted her teeth, "So it's money then? And with money comes power. Is that all you people care about?" her voice was rising. 'You're just like him…So many of you are like him!'

"Mai!" Kai grabbed hold of her arm.

"It's all right." Kai let go of the girl's arm. "I know. Max and Tyson told me about your story."

Mai shot a look at the two boys who avoided her gaze.

"But still, it's not right to take your emotions out on other people." Judy stood next to her and faced the girl.

Mai couldn't look at her. What kind of first impression was this? She didn't show any respect and she knew she deserved to feel guilty but still! "I know that…but I can't stand the fact that so many people are like him. Because of our greed, because we want power, we end up destroying our own future and destroying other peoples' lives. Is that the kind of world we want to live in? Ede—" But Mai stopped herself, she couldn't say anymore.

"Sorry for my rudeness." Mai bowed. "Please excuse me…" With that she turned around and left the group.

"Oi! Doko ikun? (Hey, where do you think you're going?)" Tyson called after her but she just kept walking.

'I'll find my way around…' she thought.

"I'll take her back to the dorm. You guys go on, bring back lunch for us okay?" Max ran after her. With a bit of hesitation, Kai decided to follow.

-Fast forward-

The door closed behind them and immediately…

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TRYING TO DO? She's been very nice to us and this is how you show your gratitude?" Kai scolded Mai who sat on the bed.

She felt like taking the blanket and pulling it over her, anything to hide her from this. She didn't like to be scolded, not when there was nothing to protect her, not when she was exposed. But it was not like she could cradle up in a corner of the room now, all she could do was listen in silence…

"And don't you dare start crying! First you take your anger out on people, then you start crying so people sympathise with you. Quit it with the childish behaviour and grow up!"

'Sou…I cry too much…I'm stubborn…selfish…childish…' Mai recited all that Kai accused her of being in her head. She accepted them, it was true; but she was hardly making any effort to change… 'How many times did I say I want to change? Dekimas—en yo (I can—not do it).'

Kai let out a heavy sigh, "You're really troublesome, you know that? If you want to let your emotions destroy you then do it yourself, don't bring others down along with you."

"Na naze koko ni? (Then why are you here?) If you're scared of going down with me then why did you follow me here? Why are you talking to me? Why do you even care?" She looked up to meet his red eyes.

"Mai…" Max uttered, but he was in no position to take either side. Whenever Kai was around, he took control. All Max could do was to act the role of a bystander.

"As Captain I have to look out for my team mates!" The Russian argued.

Dranzer: _You know that's not the only reason_

'Shut up!'

Mai said nothing. A smile crept over her lips and she got up and walked towards Kai. She stretched out a hand, gaining a shocked expression from both boys. "Thank you for doing a good job then."

"Baka." Kai turned away.

"Once I find Riya and the others, I'll return to them. That way you won't have to destroy yourself over caring about me."

'What!' Kai turned around. Was she joking?

"You're really gonna do that?" Max asked.

Mai nodded her head.

'Usou! (You're lying!)' Max couldn't believe it. She couldn't do this! "But what about the team?" Max reasoned.

"I don't really contribute much. It'll be better this way. I've caused you guys enough trouble; it'll make life easier for you too, no more worrying, no more fighting or running away, no more risking you lives for me, no more— '!'" She felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist.

"Shut up…"

"K-Kai? Nani yo suru? (What're you doing?)" Mai's face was turning a shade of pink.

"Kai?" Max stood there dumbfounded.

"You asked me why I cared so much… It's because you're so weak you make me want to protect you…That's why I keep telling you to be strong, because I don't like what you're doing to me."

The two stayed in that position, neither knew how to respond…

"Kai…" Mai's heart was racing. How did things turn out this way? What was Kai trying to say? And why couldn't she get herself out of his embrace?

Finally Mai pulled away and looked at him, "Is that really how you feel?"

'Did she have to push it this far?' Kai looked to the side. Unfortunately, his slate bangs weren't long enough to hide his blush.

Mai kept quiet, and then let out a laugh, "Sasuga ne (Brilliant). It's the first time you've shared your true thoughts on something with someone." (blu: sigh, can Mai be anymore anti-climax…)

If Max could faint anime-style, he would've done just that. "Bikkurishitta ne (Isn't this surprising) I never suspected our dear Kai," he wore a big grin on his face as he walked towards the two. "C'mon, finish the show. Kiss her."

The two blushed simultaneously, exchanged glances and then looked away.

"What're you talking about? There was never a _show_." Mai pretended to be ignorant. "And he said that he didn't like it that I was bringing him down, not that he like me or anything…" She quickly added.

"Yeah." Kai defended.

The blond chuckled, "Whatever you say. I wonder what the guys will say about this…" he was still wearing that cheeky grin on his face as he proceeded to head out the door.

'No…he's not!' Mai ran after Max and true enough he was running down the hallway to wherever the rest were. "MAX!"

"C'mon." Kai grabbed hold of her arm and the both of them ran after the sugar-high teen…

Haha, all of you must be going : "Finally! Finally they're together!" Hmm, i've not made this story so easy to predict for you readers ;p Anyway, enjoy the moment for now :))


	9. For Those of Us Who Begin to Love and Ha

Chapter 46------For Those of Us Who Begin to Love and Hate

"GUESS WHAT!" Max slammed his palms on the cafeteria table, "Mai and K-mmphfmmmmpphhff!"

"Kentucky! I suggested we go to KFC for dinner tonight." Mai put on a convincing smile as Max struggled.

"You don't want those thumb-sucking pictures to go up on the internet do you?" Kai whispered in Max's ear and he immediately had a complete change of character.

"Uh… yeah! Kentucky! Best chicken in the world! It's finger-lickin' good! Let's go there! Ahahahaha!" 'Damn! I gotta find those pictures!' Max cursed inside.

The others looked at him like he'd gone mad.

"Well, if you guys want to then it's all right with me." Judy wiped a bit of ketchup at the corner of her mouth.

"Umm, Mrs Tate…" Mai fumbled.

"Hm?"

"About just now…I'm sorry." She bowed. "I had no right to get angry with you. Honto ni gomenasai."

"Apology accepted. I know girls tend to be more sensitive than boys but don't get carried away by your feelings yeah?" The woman winked, causing Mai to smile. "Sit down and eat." She pulled up an empty chair next to her.

'Guess she's not so bad after all.' Mai thought. Judy didn't make her feel worse and she liked it. She smiled, she really liked it.

-Later that day-

"Ah! I'm stuffed." Tyson ranted as the group walked to their dormitories. Max wasn't with them; he decided to stay with his family in their own home.

They stopped in front of the two doors. "Who's got the keys?"

"I have 'em." Rei searched his pocket and pulled out two jingling keys. He handed 17 to Tyson.

Tyson unlocked the door and went in, followed by Mai and Kenny. The room wasn't much. It had two beds, a desk table, a two-seater sofa, a television set and a bathroom. However, the view made up for everything. It overlooked a wide lake surrounded by weeping willows and in the distance Mai could see the faint city lights. 'Wait…'She squinted, 'are those…ducks?' She looked at the small tiny figures breaking the lake's serene surface. "Hey! They've got ducks here!"

"Where?" Tyson came up beside her, "Oh yeeeeaaah. You hardly see ducks in Tokyo."

"Let's go there tomorrow." Mai reluctantly tore her gaze away from the window and looked around the room, "Where's my luggage?"

"Maybe it's in Rei's room?" Kenny suggested.

Mai entered Rei's room, she looked around, "Is my bag here?"

"You mean this one?" Rei pointed to a black luggage next to the cupboard.

"Yup, that one." She pulled out the handle and was about to roll it away when—

"Where you going? You're bunking with us."

"What?" Mai blinked, did she hear correctly? "Why can't I stay in the next room?" 'I'm not gonna sleep in the same room as Kai. NO WAY!'

"Why would you want to stay in the next room? Tyson snores."

"Then why can't I have my own room? I'm a girl, I need my privacy." Mai stole a peek at Kai, he was watching television but she could bet a hundred percent that he was listening. 'If this is all for my protection then I'm gonna bang your head against the wall, Kai.'

"It's all for your protection." Rei replied simply. "I'm not criticising them or anything but… I don't think Tyson and Kenny can protect you very well."

Mai glared at Kai but thought it over. Kenny protecting her was waaaay out of the picture and Tyson…Would he fight? He'd get beaten no doubt… Sighing, Mai rolled her luggage back to its original position, "I'm not a little girl. I can take care of myself…" She muttered.

"We know, but it's just to play safe." Rei smiled, happy that she chose to stay. "Take the bed. I'll use the mattress."

"No, I'll take the mattress." She took hold of the white fluffy thing, "That way, that whole side of the room with the beds are yours –jerks head to bed- and this whole side is mine. Deal?"

But before Rei could say anything, someone had already answered for him. "Deal." Kai got off the sofa and sat on the bed which was on his side of the room.

"And…since the TV is on _my_ side of the room, I get to pick the channels." Mai changed the channel to HBO.

"Hey! That's not fair!" The two boys exclaimed. Kai changed the channel back to the baseball game on NHK using the remote.

Mai changed it back to HBO.

Kai pressed the remote once more.

HBO.

NHK.

"Will you stop it?" Mai pressed the button and blocked the TV.

HBO.

"Why don't you?" Kai pressed the remote.

NHK.

HBO.

NHK.

"You know what? No TV." Rei walked over to Mai's side and—

Mai's jaw dropped, 'He pulled out the plug!' Kai just gave his usual "Hmph," and went to take a shower.

"Why can't the both of you just be nice to each other for once?"

"That's because we hate each other…" Mai spoke into the pillow as she lay on the mattress.

"What?"

She rolled over, "Nothing…"

That night…

Mai couldn't sleep. Her hair was still wet and she had been thinking about some things…more specifically, _someone_.

'"You asked me why I cared so much… It's because you're so weak you make me want to protect you…That's why I keep telling you to be strong, because I don't like what you're doing to me."' Mai turned over and buried her face into the pillow, 'Mou! Stop thinking about it, you fool!'

Levian: _It's no use denying it. You like him._

Mai could sense that Levian was smirking. 'But I can't! Nononononono!' But that funny feeling inside her was saying another thing. She rolled over on her back, 'I must be making too much noise shuffling about…' She propped herself on her hands to check on the boys: they were sleeping.

Mai lay back down, her head turned to the window; she wanted to get lost in the mesmerising beauty of the lake. 'I have Riya, I can't cheat on my fiancé…And I promised we'd never let Eden come between us. I can't go back on my promise.'

Levian: _Sigh. Promises, fiancés…Complicated love life you've got going on here._

Mai furrowed her brows at this. 'I didn't ask for this to happen… And if I become strong, Kai wouldn't have to worry about me anymore, and then he'll forget everything.'

She dug under her pillow and pulled out her hand phone. She switched it on and a glaring white square appeared. Mai faced it down; she didn't want to attract any attention in case the guys weren't asleep. The phone took a few seconds to load before the menu page came on. She chose the MY PICTURES icon. Her thumb clicked on the buttons, once, twice. A picture opened.

In the dark, she stared at the picture. Her gaze ran across the faces of Copellia, Riya, Mit-chan and Drex before returning to Riya. 'Riya…' She studied his smiling face. Just then she remembered what she had said earlier on today, that she would return to Riya and the rest if she found them, 'Do I really want to leave?'

'Not really…'

Levian: _Because of Kai?_

'Stop asking if you already know. You're just trying to make me admit it, aren't you?'

Levian: _Yup._

She played with the buttons; the picture zoomed in and out.

Levian: _If you think your decision is bounded by promises and fiancés, then it is you who chooses it to be. Think about it, you have all the freedom in the world; nothing is stopping you but yourself. _

Mai thought about it. Levian did make sense. Heck, he made all the sense in the world! 'But what do I really want? Which is more important?'

'Kai did always look out for me… Ever since they found me, he was the one encouraging me, scolding me, telling me to be this and that, to be strong. When Riya wasn't there, he was. He was the one who saved me from Chace that night at the opening ceremony. He made sure there was always someone around to look out for me…And all this time I thought he was being too strict, but it was because he cared…he actually cares…'

Mai felt something drop on her, a pillow. She tossed it off and looked up to see who the culprit was.

"Switch that thing off. Some of us are trying to sleep here."

"Mind your own business," She threw the pillow at Kai but he caught it. Mai saw that he was smiling, not a warm one, but the kind you have on when you were playfully mocking someone.

"Go back to sleep. And stop ruffling the sheets; get a room if you have to…" Kai adjusted the pillow and lay back down.

'This guy!' Mai kicked his bed before snuggling up in her own.

"Hey Kai."

"Nani?"

"…I'll be strong."

'Huh?' Then it hit him, 'Was she thinking about this morning?' Kai turned to look at her but her eyes were already closed. 'Mai…'

-Morning-

"Mai, wake up." Rei nudged her shoulder. The girl groaned and rolled over but didn't get up.

"You wanted to go see the ducks, remember?" It was Tyson's turn to try.

"I don't care about them anymore…" Mai's voice was muffled against the pillow.

Kai went to the bathroom and came back carrying a glass of water. "You're going to?" Tyson watched as Kai, unnerved, poured the water on Mai's head.

"WHAT THE HELL?" She immediately shot up, her hand touching her head. Her hair was wet…again… "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"

Mai saw that the guys were looking away, their cheeks a little red. "What?" She demanded, irritated that they did this to her early in the morning and were now acting weird.

"Well uh…your shirt…" Max replied, looking away.

"Huh?" Mai looked down. 'Ehh?' Her face went red with embarrassment, the water had gone down her shirt and made it cling to her body; she could see the pattern of the lace underneath. "Konno…HENTAI! (You…PERVERT!)"

The boys ran out of the room with pillows and shoes flying behind them. Then the door slammed and they heard a click. Rei and Kai were locked out of their room.

"You see? YOU SEE? You and your stupid idea!" Tyson wagged a shoe in front of Kai who merely shrugged and leant against the wall.

Max came up beside him, "You couldn't wait to see, could you?" he said cheekily. Kai turned away before his face could show any emotion. He spotted the shoe Tyson was holding, took it and threw it at Max. "Okay okay. I get it." The blond rubbed his shoulder and walked away. Further away…and further till he was a safe five metres from the group before turning around to shout: "KAI LIKES MAAAIII!"

Tyson, Kenny and Rei all turned to look at Kai, who looked stunned at Max's outburst.

"AND YOU KNOW WHAT, KAI? I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DO ABOUT THOSE PICTURES!" With that, Max ran away laughing to himself.

"MAX!" But Tyson grabbed hold of his sleeve.

"So what's this about you liking Mai, hmm?"

Kai moved away, he didn't like where this was going… 'I'm going to kill Max!'

-Fast forward-

Mai was forced to sit next to Kai at the breakfast table…Tyson was walking around the both of them with his hands behind his back.

"What're you doing?" Mai's eyes followed Tyson as he paced back and forth. "What's with you guys? You've been acting funny since this morning…" She picked up her fork and scooped some omelette into her mouth.

"I'm disappointed Kai…You of all people should know." Tyson finally said something. Kai just kept quiet.

The fork stuck out of Mai's mouth, "Hmm? What did he do?"

"How could you betray us? How could you betray the _team_?" Tyson was getting all melodramatic. "How could you—"

"Get on with it, man." Max slapped his shoulder.

"All right all right." Tyson sat himself down and looked seriously at the two, "Kai, Mai, the both of you are not allowed to like each other."

Kai's reaction: … -picks up coffee cup to take a sip-

Mai's reaction: O.o? "WHAT?"

Max's reaction: "BUT WHY?"

Tyson broke into a long speech, "I-know-it's-hard-for-the-both-of-you-but-your-relationship-will-only-affect-your-performance-and-ultimately-affect-the-performance-of-the-team-so-we-cannot-allow-such-a-partnership-to-exist. Haaa-huh haaa-huh." He caught his breath.

Mai understood what Tyson was talking about. She placed her fork down, crossed her arms and sat back, "Are you done?"

The bluenette gulped down some of his orange juice, "Yeah, okay."

"Look, there's nothing going on between us. You've seen the both of us, we treat each other like mortal enemies!" Mai turned to Kai, "Right?"

Tyson, Kenny and Rei recalled everything that happened between Kai and Mai: the servant-master incident, the many times Kai and Mai fought over the TV, over the household chores, the many times Kai shouted at Mai for being stubborn…

Was there anything good?

Nope, nope, nope…

"And I have a fiancé."

"Yeah but you can break off the engagement." Max pointed out.

'But I made a promise…' Mai imagined Max saying: "But you can break that promise." 'Yeah right...easier said than done.' Mai shook her head.

"But what's Kai's take on this? Hey Kai, say something."

"There's nothing going on between us…" He answered the neko-jin coldly.

'Kai…' but Mai quickly supported his statement, "Yeah, we're just team mates. End of story." She picked up her fork and took a bite out of her sausage.

"She's returning to Riya and the rest," Kai lifted his tray, "so what's the point…" His words trailed as he walked off.

'"I have a fiancé..."' Kai's grip on the tray tightened…

-Fast forward-

"DRANZER! FLAME SABRE!"

The red phoenix sent Drigger crashing to the edge of the dish.

"Nani aitsu wa… (What's up with him?) He's taking this too seriously." Max watched as Rei's blade got trashed.

"Dunno, maybe he's angry?" Tyson felt a little worried. It was his turn next to battle Kai and if his blade was going to turn out like Rei's then he'd better not risk it.

Rei's beyblade bounced on the floor outside the dish before coming to a stop. The poor boy picked his blade up and quickly handed it to Kenny to have it fixed.

"Saa, tsugi wa! (Next!)" Kai ordered.

Tyson backed away, "Never mind. I'll pass."

"MAX!"

"Uh you know what? I think I need to go the bathroom. I'll be right back." Max zipped out of the training room with Tyson following behind him.

'Bunch of cowards…' Kai thought. Just then, something fell over his head. He pulled it off and found that it was a towel.

"Here." Mai handed him a water bottle, "Take a break."

Kai wiped the towel over his brow and looked at Mai's outstretched hand. Should he take it? "Hmph." He walked towards the vending machine and bought his own drink.

'Fine then! Be that way!' She turned away and went to the beydish. She ran her fingers on the dish's surface and could feel the drill marks made by the beyblades. She looked back at Kai, 'What're you so upset about?'

Mai stood up, 'If you're angry then let's do something about it,' and walked towards Kai. "Get your blade; I know you're not tired yet."

"You want me to battle you? In _that _condition?"

She noticed that he was looking at her shoulder, "Hmph, don't take me so lightly." She walked towards the dish and held out her launcher.

Kai followed and held out his launcher, "You asked for this," he warned.

"3, 2, 1! LET IT RIP!"

-CLANG!-

The commotion had caught Rei and Kenny's attention and the both of them stopped to watch.

The two blades fell into the dish and went at each other again, pushing and drilling as though trying to grind the opponent to dust. Levian swerved but Dranzer was hot on its tail. The two blades chased each other around the dish, attacking each other as soon as one of them came near the other.

"DRANZER! DRANZER GIGS TURBO ATTACK!" Kai commanded.

"WATER MAGE!"

The white wolf leapt out of the blade in a flash of blue light and immediately, several clones of Levian popped up and surrounded the beydish. Dranzer's attack fired at one of the clones but it melted away and popped up somewhere else.

"Cheh! I won't lose so easily.' "Dranzer! Shoot all of them down!"

Dranzer blasted a flaming arrow at each of the clones till the real one was singled out.

'Soko da! (That's the one!)' "NOW ATTACK!"

'This isn't good,' Mai thought fast, she looked around for her blade amongst the flames, "ARTIC FLARE!"

Blue flames burned among the red ones; the battle of two fires. Red countered blue, blue countered red. Mai watched Levian leap into the air, dragging Dranzer down with its foot caught in his mouth. But the bird was no push over, Dranzer fought hard and sent a fireball surging at Levian with a flap of its wings.

'Jikkushyo! (Dammit!)' Mai looked at Kai; he was staring up at the battle. But even so, Mai could see that he was fighting hard, the determination in his eyes shone through his bangs. Kai looked at her and narrowed his eyes. Mai narrowed hers too, 'It isn't my fault that I'm engaged, so stop throwing your anger about!'

"This isn't a training session anymore. It's a battlefield…" Rei watched as the two bit-beasts fought amongst the flames, watched as the two bladers fought their hearts out. "They're gonna destroy each other."

"But we can't stop them, can we?" Kenny looked on with worried eyes.

"DRANZER FLAME!"

"ARTIC FLARE!"

'Zettai…MAKENAI! (There's no way…I'M GONNA LOSE!)' Both bladers thought simultaneously.

Both bit-beasts charged at each other—

"DRIGGER! GATLING CLAW!"

Two blades of white light slashed through the flames.

"Nani!" Mai and Kai looked up to see Drigger in between the two bit-beasts, growling at Levian and then at Dranzer.

"Rei! This is our battle! Don't—"

"I know that!" Rei cut Mai off, "You call this a battle? The both of you are trying to destroy each other!"

Mai: '!'

Kai: '!'

"Dakara mou yamete kudasai! (So please stop it!)" Rei shouted.

In the beydish, the three beyblades were still spinning till Levian slowed down to a stop, followed by Dranzer and lastly Drigger. Mai bent down to pick up her blade, she could feel the heat from the friction. She surfaced and met Kai's eyes. The both of them glared at each other until Kai broke away.

Mai clenched her fists; he couldn't just walk away like that! "It's not my fault he's my fiancé so stop being so angry!" she called after him.

Kai stopped in his tracks, "Do whatever you want…" He walked out of the training room.

Mai stood there glaring at his already-gone figure while Max and Rei were at a loss. What was going on between those two? First they find out Kai likes Mai and now they both hate each other to the core?

"Mai…" Rei placed a hand on her shoulder.

The girl let out a heavy sigh, "Daijoubu desu. Shimpai sunna. (I'm fine. Don't worry)" she smiled at Rei. "I'm gonna take a shower so can I have the keys?"

"Eh." He handed them over.

Mai took them, "Ja mata ne. (I'll see you later)" She pocketed her beyblade and left the training hall.

"Those two…" Rei shook his head.

"Maybe it's best if we leave it to them to sort out their own problems, ne?" Kenny stood alongside Rei.

"Tabun… (Probably)"

Hope you liked it. It's the longest chapter i've written for season two! Please review yeah?


	10. The Reason I Protect

Chapter 47------The Reason I Protect

Mai stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her. She noticed the mirror was misty and like she had always loved doing, began to write her name out on the glass. She smiled to herself as the clear bits of her name stood out amongst the foggy parts.

Through the clear glass, Mai noticed her hair, it had grown longer. She ran her fingers through her wet locks, 'Maybe I'll cut it when we get back to Japan.'

The mirror started to clear up and she could see her whole self. She looked tired, and why wouldn't she be? She had been through a lot in the past 6 months. Being captured and rescued, captured and rescued again, she felt like a mistreated animal. Mai pulled at the skin under her eyes, "Sigh. What am I doing with my life?"

-The boys…-

"Where's Mai?" Tyson asked as he entered the training room carrying a hotdog.

Max looked around and came to one conclusion, "She's run off with Ka—"

"No! Don't even think about it." Rei reprimanded him. He had had enough of this Kai and Mai crap. "They're not together and DON'T go looking for them. Just leave them alone."

"I'm going back to the dorm." Rei walked out of the room.

"Everyone's so angry…" Kenny muttered to himself.

Max looked at Tyson who only shrugged.

-Dorm 16-

There was a knock on the door, "Open up, it's me."

Rei heard feet stomp on the ground before the door opened. Mai moved away so that he could enter and went back to watching TV. Rei joined her on the couch.

"_You as-as-as-as-as-as-askuedo_–"

"HAHAHAHAH!" Mai burst out laughing. The show was a game where you weren't supposed to laugh when the man read the sentence or else you would get beaten by a bokken.

"_Some of your…lotions_ (questions)?"

Rei and Mai cracked up.

"AHAHAHAHahahahaaa. This is seriously funny!" Mai wiped a tear from her eye.

"_Kendo, tanaka, outto_ (out)"

Mai watched as the contestants were whacked hard on the butt using the bokken.

"I know how that feels…" Rei spoke from experience. Grampa G had ambushed him once…

"_Turampulled_ (travelled) –Mai snickered- _fromu _(from) _Be-be-bei-be-be-be-be-bikuta._ (Venice)"

The pair howled with laughter.

-Outside-

'Eh? Laughter?' Kai hesitated to knock on the door, someone he'd rather not see right now was in there.

But where would he go? He couldn't train forever nor could he roam around the whole institute. He decided to swallow his pride and just go for it.

-Inside-

"Hahaha! Could you get that Rei? Hahaha! Bikuta he says! AHAHAHA!"

Rei opened the door to see Kai, "But uh…-turns to look at Mai- never mind…" He let him in.

Mai stopped laughing and cleared her throat when she saw him. She focused her eyes on the TV; the man was now counting to a hundred. Rei went back to his seat beside her.

"_Nineteen, ten…ten ten_ (20) _ten ten one, ten ten two…_"

Rei laughed, Mai laughed, Kai smirked.

"_Ten…-_uses fingers to count- _ten ten ten ten ten ten ten ten ten _(100)!"

The Chinese pair couldn't control their laughter but Mai was surprised to see Kai laughing, a little more reserved than them but still, he was laughing. Kai caught her looking at him and she quickly turned back to the TV.

"Owarimashita… (It's over)" Mai said disappointedly and sunk into the sofa.

"It was fun while it lasted." She nodded in agreement with Rei.

"Saa," Mai stretched and got up, "Time to get back to training." She took her beyblade from the coffee table. "When's the tournament starting?"

"Friday."

"Then we have only one day left to train? But one day's not enough!" Mai held up a finger to her chin, "that means we have to train more..." She said this more to herself than the others in the room. "Ma ii ka. (Anyway it doesn't matter) Ja ikimashyo! (Let's go train!)" Mai pushed Rei out of the room.

"B-but my beyblade is trashed." Rei said as Mai pushed him along.

"Oh yeah, I forgot…" Mai let go of the raven-haired boy. "Then what do you propose we do? I don't wanna train the whole day…It's so boring." She sat herself on Rei's bed. "Sou ka! Let's go down to the lake!"

The girl rushed to her luggage, took out something black and pulled it over her right wrist. She made sure it covered everything, "Okay, let's go."

"Actually I'm a bit tired, mayb—"

"Rei!" Kai said in a rather orderly tone.

"Shikashi… (But)" He looked from Kai to Mai, he knew someone had to go with her; Kai had made it very clear that time.

"Iin desu ka? (Is it all right?) It's okay if you want to stay here." Mai suggested.

"Iie, boku wa ikimasu. (No, I'll come)" Rei gave in.

"Kai can come too if he wants…" Mai said softly as she walked out of the room.

"Huh?"

"Hurry up, I'm locking the door." Mai called.

"H-Hai!" Kai rushed out of the room.

The girl turned the keys and stuffed them in her jacket's pocket, "Ikou. (Let's go)"

-Fast forward-

"Whoa…" Mai let out a sigh of amazement. The lake was huge! It was bigger than a soccer field! No! A stadium! She ran down to the edge of the lake for a closer look.

"Oi! Kiotsukete! (Be careful) Don't fall in!" Rei reminded. He watched as Mai stood by the lake, coaxing a few ducks to come near her. Kai came up beside him.

Rei chuckled, "We're always looking out for her, aren't we?"

"Hn." Was Kai's reply.

The both of them stared out at the lake, keeping an eye on Mai once in a while to make sure she was safe. Everything was so peaceful, it was here that they could slow down, relax and just forget everything even if it was just for a moment till-

Rei broke the silence, "When are you going to accept the fact that she's old enough to take care of herself?"He turned to Kai, "Don't you think you're being too overprotective?"

"Maa ne, (Maybe)" Kai shoved his hands into his pockets.

Silence…

"Demo kawaisou da. (I feel sorry for her)"

"Kawaisou?" Rei tilted his head.

Kai sat on the grass, watching Mai throw some leaves at the ducks. "She doesn't have anyone, and yet so many people are out to hurt her…If we can make life a little better for her then I don't mind protecting her. Everyone should be given a chance to live."

"You learnt that from the Abbey?"

Kai kept quiet.

"Mai's life is hers to live; we can't change that. But do a good job, _kareshi_. (boyfriend)" Rei patted him on the shoulder.

"Kareshi to yunna! (Don't say that)"

Rei laughed. "Mai! Let's go!"

"Okay!" The girl ran up the slope and joined the boys who had already started walking.

'Even if it's just one chance, I'll make sure she enjoys it…' Kai thought.

-Fast forward-

"Eh, it's a bit slow here. The turns aren't sharp." The group was huddled around Kenny's computer, analysing the statistics of today's training. "Draciel has to have more balance."

"But how can we improve on it?"

"There's a simulation we have at the lab. You can try it if you want; it trains for every aspect of the beyblade if you adjust the conditions right." Judy replied.

"Put on Kai's and Mai's battle, Dizzi."

Dizzi: Coming right up!

A loading bar appeared and the video started downloading: …30...56...78...100. The image of Mai's battle popped up on screen. The girl watched herself, 'Rei was right, we do look like we want to destroy each other…' She saw that her face and Kai's face were etched with lines of anger; in their eyes you could see a deep desire to win, to defeat the other.

Judy watched with keen interest, "Amazing…I've never seen such intensity in a battle before! The both of you have so much potential." She turned to look at the pair.

"Uh thanks." Mai shrugged.

"Yup, more potential than you could ever dream of." Tyson said to himself but got a hard nudge in the ribs from Mai.

"Really?" Judy raised a brow.

"N-No!" Mai flustered, "Tyson's just sputtering rubbish! You know how he gets when he's hungry, his brain can't function properly." She received a dirty look from Tyson but didn't care. This was something Judy couldn't know about.

"Haha, I see. By the way, have you boys been informed about the conditions for this year's tournament?" Judy typed on the keyboard and accessed a website.

"They changed the criteria?" Tyson questioned.

"Apparently so," The woman's eyes seemed to be scanning something, "here, take a look." She turned over the computer screen. The group read down the long list of rules and regulations, "Partners? In a _tag-team_ match?" Max sounded surprised. It was the first time the BBA was implementing such a condition.

"Then that means we have to fight each other…" Rei looked thoughtful for a minute before adding on, "so what about the pairings?"

Everyone kept silent; Max drummed his fingers on the table. They all thought that they'd be fighting as a team, not with each _other_. If the BBA was trying to test if they could work in a pair then it was really ingenious of them to do so. Put beybladers who work so well single-handedly together and you get major chaos, albeit good for the TV ratings.

"Well, I could pair you guys up based on your stats but if you want to choose who you want to pair up with then by all means go ahead." Kenny spoke up.

"Then one of us will be left out," Tyson propped his head on his fist, "deshyo? (Isn't that right?)

"Maybe all of you should decide now. Since you still have one more day left to train, it'd be good to use that day to work together with your partner." Judy suggested.

"Tyson and Kai would be a good match but, I'm guessing the both of you don't work well together so… maybe Tyson could go with Mai?"

"Dame. (No)" Kai objected.

"Dooshite? (Why)" Mai argued. "Then what have I been training for all this time? Don't tell me it was all in vain?"

"Then would you rather show the whole world what you are?" Kai's tone matched hers: defensive, rebellious and loud.

Mai was stunned.

"Do you want the incident in China to repeat itself? What if people got hurt? What if your _Grandfather_ saw you on TV?"

Mai shook her head slowly as fear crept over her, "Iie…iie da (No…I don't want it to happen…)" Her eyes grew wide with terror, she didn't want to be captured again; she didn't want to die. 'He'll kill me…He'll kill me!'

"Mai? Oi, shikkarishite. (Get a hold of yourself.)" Max shook her gently on the shoulders. "Kai! Omae mou! (You're too much)"

"Shinjite…dame…kowaii… (Dying is bad…it's scary…)" The memories flashed in her head: the blood, the experiments, the battles, the hurt, the pain, how no one helped her but instead just watched her die with indifferent expressions on their faces… "Dame…kowaii…kowaii!"

But she stopped speaking when she felt someone's touch.

"Hey, it's all right. No one's going to hurt you." Judy stroked Mai's hair, slowly the girl calmed down. "Nothing will happen to you. You're safe here."

Mai looked at Judy; her smile was so warm that it reminded her of her own mother. "Ka-san… (Mother)"

"Hey now, didn't I tell you not to get carried away by your feelings? Don't cry; you're a big girl."

Mai gritted her teeth, she couldn't help it, Judy reminded her so much of her mother. She missed her, so much. "Ka-san…oka-san…" The girl cried into Judy's shoulder while the boys just watched her, speechless, with sympathetic eyes.

'Itsumademo…naiteru. (You're always…crying)' Kai didn't like it when people cried, it made him feel uneasy, he wasn't use to this outpouring of emotion. He couldn't stand it, why must you cry? Crying won't solve anything; it'll only make you weaker. Crying makes people comfort you, they gain your trust, only to betray you in the end…

-Flashback-

But it was too late; it had slammed shut and wouldn't open. The little kid slammed his fists on the metal door "Nala! Nala! NAAAAAALLLLLLLLAAAAAA!" The small figure fell to his knees, tears rolled down his cheeks 'it was never your fault…it was mine… subete wa watashi no se da… (everything was my fault …)'

"No need to be sad Kai. The girl was breaking you apart. She deserved it; she was stopping you from becoming the best."

His grandfather placed a hand on his head "Everything is for your future…"

The boy looked at him with watery eyes, he couldn't stop crying. Voltaire stooped down to his level, "You will grow up to be the best," he ruffled his grandson's hair. "Then no one can push you around because you'll be the strongest; and then you can protect what is precious to you with your power…"

"Really?" The boy sniffed.

"Yes, really."

………

"Get them! Don't let them escape!" Voltaire shouted.

Gun shots rang into the night. "KAIII!"

Tala was on the ground, I couldn't save him.

Grandfather took him away…

"KKKKKAAAAAAAIIIII!"

-End of flashback-

"I'll take her back to our room," Rei offered. "Let's not stress her out anymore." He got up from his chair and went to Judy's side, "Mai, let's go back." Mai willingly obeyed and got up, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

"We should all call it a night. You've got one day left to train so rest well. Come Max." The mother and son bid them adieu and went off.

The group walked back to their dorm in silence, greeted each other good night and went into their separate quarters. Mai sat on her mattress, she didn't bother to change out of her clothes and she didn't bother if the TV was on or that the moon was out tonight. Her mind was a blank; she didn't want to think anymore. Wouldn't it be better if she just stopped thinking? If she never knew things like Eden or power existed? "To not be able to know anything…Isn't that true happiness?" she mumbled.

"Hm?" Rei stopped drying his hair to listen.

"If we never knew about things that could scare us, things that could harm us, things that could make us sad, we'd be living happy lives. But we can never avoid them forever; such things will catch up with us…"

"And then consumeus…"

"Mai…" He could see that her eyes were glazed over.

Mai blinked hard, as though snapping back from her trance-like state. "Gomen, I must sound ridiculous. Sometimes I just space out and think about things too deep." She pulled off her wrist band and undid her jacket. She got up and was about to enter the bathroom when—

"You worry too much." Rei said.

"Heh," the girl smiled to herself, "Sou ka."


	11. Hovenweep

Chapter 48-------Hovenweep

"DRACIEL! FORTRESS DEFENCE!"

The purple blade built up a force-shield around it, blocking out the opponent's attack.

"Tyson!"

"Right!" The bluenette nodded. He waited for Draciel to tag Dragoon and "DRAGOON STORM!"

The huge hurricane sent the opponent's blade spiralling through the air.

"TIGRIS!"

But it was too late, the hurricane died down and the orange blade was thrown out of the dish.

"WWWWWWWHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAA!" The crowd cheered while Max and Tyson hi-5ed each other.

"We WON! Oh yeah! We WON! Uh huh!" The pair did a little victory dance.

'What the hell?' Mai thought, as she watched from the stands.

"No…Tigris!" The boy ran to get his blade. He held it firmly in his hand. They were so close! Why had they lost?

Trey's partner came up beside him and shook his head, "C'mon, there's no point anguishing over it. We'll try again next year." Jacky lifted his friend and the pair exited the arena.

"They won." Rei said on a happy note.

"It's your turn now, isn't it?" She looked at the pair. Rei nodded and called for Kai to get going. "Good luck!" She called after them.

"Thanks!"

Mai slowly made her way to where Max and Tyson were. She would join them for now. 'So this is what I get for not battling… I get passed around like some parcel…Stupid Kai!' She checked her watch and sighed, '30 more minutes before I get passed on to Judy…'

"Congratulations on winning. Great team work at the end." Mai flashed a smile though she didn't really feel like it. One shouldn't bring down another's happiness right?

"Thanks!" Max gave her an even toothier grin. "Looks like Tyson's enjoying the limelight." He jerked his head towards the boy who was flailing his arms at the roaring crowd.

"Yeah, the buffoon." The both of them had a laugh at this.

Mai walked over to where Tyson was standing, "C'mon," She pulled him by the ear, "before they start throwing their underwear at you."

"Let go of my ear! I've got feet, I can walk back myself." Tyson pulled away and turned back once again to his adoring fans, "THANK YOU! WE LOVE YOU AMERICA!" The crowd chanted Tyson's name over and over again and the boy merrily returned their support by flashing smiles and victory signs all the way until the group was out of sight.

"Tsk. Honestly, how big-headed can you get?" Mai tossed Tyson a can of coke as the teenagers chilled in the lounge: a small area at the back of the arena furnished with a few black-cushioned sofas, a speckled-grey tabletop and a vending machine by the side of the wall. She slumped down into a chair and swung her arm lazily over the armrest.

"What? We have to please the fans; it's good publicity." He took a swig of his coke.

"So when's the preliminary round?" Mai questioned.

"Dunno," Max leaned back in his chair, "depends on how long our rest period is."

"Rest period?"

"The period between two matches. We're given time to fix our beyblades, train and stuff." Tyson replied.

"Ohh." Mai nodded her head. 'Guess there's still a lot I don't know about.'

Mai watched as the boys tried to aim their cans into the trash bin.

"SCORE!" Max shouted triumphantly. Tyson's can bounce off the edge of the bin; he picked it up and threw it in.

Just then, Judy walked in. "I heard you boys won, congratulations!" She stood next to Max, "I heard the All Starz are through to the preliminaries too, guess you'll be facing them soon."

"Who are the All Starz?"

"The pride and joy of America." Max joked, earning a laugh from Tyson and a frown from his mother.

"Don't listen to him; he doesn't like the All Starz because Eddy beat him once." Judy said the last bit in a whispered tone. Mai smirked, now she knew why.

"That's 'cos he had his blade fitted with some spring device!" Max sat upright to defend himself.

"It's all right buddy. We all knowhow it feels like to lose." Tyson said in faked sympathy and patted him on his shoulder. The blond boy moved away with a leave-me-alone look on his face.

'Oh, before I forget!' Mai rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a picture, "Um Mrs Tate, about this picture…" She held the Polaroid in between her index and middle fingers.

"Ah, I remember this. This was taken at Hovenweep. (blu: Hovenweep really does exist, go check it out. I did my research haha ;P) Where'd you get this?"

"I found it in Max's cupboard." Mai replied.

"Oh yeah, I sent this to him as a postcard." Judy had that oh-now-I-remember look as she studied the picture.

"Um, about this Hovenweep, if it's not too much to ask, can you please take me there?"

Judy raised an eyebrow, "You want to go to Hovenweep?" Mai gave a small "Yeah." "But what for? The place is in ruins."

"Mai has something very important to do, so we _have _to_ go _there." Max begged.

"Honey, Hovenweep lies in a canyon, it's not so easy to get there. And it's all the way in Colorado, it'll be ha—"

"C'mon mom, please?"

"Please Mrs Tate?"

Two pairs of puppy-eyes were far more than she could take. "Fine, I'll try and arrange something." Judy finally gave in. "But if I can't get any transportation then it's off, got that?"

"Yeah! You're the best, mom!" Max was beaming from ear to ear. Mai's face brightened up too.

Judy sat down on a nearby chair and sighed, "But why Hovenweep? It'd better be for something seriously important, I'm not gonna waste my resources on some sight-seeing trip." Her voice was stern.

"Rest assured, Mrs Tate. There really is something important there that I have to find out." Mai said, but the look on Judy's face told her that she wasn't convinced.

The girl hesitated, 'How do I say this?' "Um Mrs Tate, do you know about this ancient tribe called the Norwings?"

"Norwings? But Hovenweep was home to the Pueblo North American Indian tribe…" Judy pondered a bit, "But anyway, I'll do some research on them. So you belong to this Norwing tribe then?"

"No…" Mai reached for her black wrist band and pulled it down to reveal her birthmark, "Actually I'm a Zeelan."

'Mai!' Tyson never thought she would reveal herself to anyone else but them. "But you…-points to birthmark and then to Judy-" He didn't get it.

"It's all right. Hopefully I can trust Mrs Tate not to tell anyone?" She looked to the woman for reassurance.

Judy smiled, "So you belong to the tribe that got wiped out by the fire…Ah, now I get it. No wonder you're living with the boys. You're all right, right? I mean, everything's okay?" She gave Mai a sympathetic look.

"Yeah, I'm okay. It's in the past." Mai got up and headed towards the vending machine. 'But there are still the memories…'

"Maybe…maybe the Norwings are actually the North American Indians? Just that over here we call them North American Indians but Mai knows them as Norwings." Max suggested.

The girl popped a few quarters into the slot and pushed a red button. The machine rumbled for a bit before a thud was heard at its base. She bent down to retrieve her can of green tea. "Max could be right," She said as she walked back to the circle of people huddled around the tabletop. "But like Rei always says, we won't know until we actually get there."

"Get where?" A familiar voice sounded from the other side of the room. All of them turned to see Rei and Kai enter the lounge.

"So? Did ya guys win?"

"What do you think?" Rei grinned.

"Ahah!" Tyson wagged a finger at the neko-jin, "You did, didn't you? Hahaha! Hi-5 man!" The two clapped their palms together, laughing.

"Anyway, we're we going?" Rei sat himself next to Max while Kai sat across from Mai.

"To Hovenweep. It's the place in the picture." Max slid the photo across the table to Rei who picked it up for a closer look. "My mom says she'll arrange the transport for us to get there."

Rei nodded and placed the picture back on the table.

"Anyway, I'd better get back." Judy stood up, "Mai, your coming with me right?"

"Uh yeah." The girl quickly stood up.

"I'll bring her back at 8 so you boys go ahead and have dinner first, okay?" With that, Judy signalled for Mai to follow her out of the lounge.

"8? That's a bit late, isn't it?" Kenny commented.

"Dun worry, my mom will take care of her. Anyway," Max got up and adjusted his shirt, "we've gotta get our beyblades fixed. There's a shop on the ground floor."

"Oh yeah! They have Orange Julius on the ground floor! Let's go get some shakes!"

Max pushed the back of Tyson's head, which made Rei chuckle. "Ok fine fine! Fix beyblades first…" The bluenette sulked as the group walked along…

-Fast forward-

"Yo!" Mai flopped onto Kai's bed. The boys were all sitting on her mattress playing cards.

Kenny rejoined the group after opening the door for her, "is it my turn?"

"Yup."

Mai watched the boys take turns to throw down their cards. She reached for the empty box and shook out the two jokers. She scrutinised its edge and ran her finger over it. "Heh." A smirk appeared on her lips and she took out her blade.

"Hey Rei! Think fast!" Mai flicked the card at him.

"Huh!" The card missed his hair but not his sleeve.

"You can't just fling a card at someone for no reason." Tyson spoke up.

Mai got off the bed to retrieve the joker, "No, I wanted to show you this." She pulled at Rei's sleeve; a tiny slit appeared on the white cloth. "Cool huh?" Her eyes twinkled. "And sorry Rei, I promise I'll sew it back. I was actually going for your hair."

"You did that with just a card?" Tyson decided he would try too. He took a card and ran it over the bed sheet. "It doesn't cut…"

"Haha. That's because I put diamond dust on the edge." Mai held up the card and her blade. "It's an old trick I learnt. Ninjas in the past used thin metal cards with sharp edges like a knife to attack their opponents. This card thing is just a safer version of it." She grinned.

"It can even cut hair." Mai singled out a strand of hair and sliced it in half. "See?" She held up the cut strand.

"And you're telling us this because?" Kai sounded uninterested. This was all so redundant…

"For fun." Mai rolled on top of Kai's bed with her back against the sheets. Her head dangled over the edge and her hair spilled over the mattress as she looked at them upside down. "I'm bored, so I entertain myself."

"I can see that." Rei chuckled. "Here, you can shuffle the cards then." The boys poured the deck over her head.

"Hey!" She rolled over, dusting the cards off the bed so that she could gather them easily on the floor.

"What do you think we'll find at Hovenweep?" Mai asked as she arranged the cards neatly in a stack before shuffling them.

"Spirits."

"SPIRITS?" Mai exclaimed. 'I don't wanna go to some haunted place!'

"Aww, ish wuittle Mai scared of a wuittle ghost?" Tyson mocked. Mai made a face at him and told him to shut up.

"Not those 'spirits'. The North American Indians pray to spirits like the wind spirit or the fire spirit and uh…..But anyway you get my point right? I could lend you Dizzi if you want to find out more." Kenny finished.

Mai gave a mental sigh of relief, 'So he meant elemental spirits.' She began dealing the cards, "Anyway, since Hilary isn't here and I've got nothing to do, I'll fill in for Hilary as your trainer starting tomorrow."

"What!"

"So it's rise and shine at 5 am, then 5 laps around the lake, do a few sit-ups, push-ups, jumping-jacks blah blah blah, then breakfast at 7. Then it's discussing battle strategies for the next 2 hours and – Hey! We're you going?"

"To sleep." Tyson answered as he headed towards the door with Kenny following behind.

"But I'm not done yet!"

"Exactly!" Tyson shouted before Mai heard the door close.

"Mou!" She huffed.

Kai smirked at her expression. It was adorable in a way, a pouting face with a mixture of anger in it.

"Nani yo! (What)" Mai snapped.

Kai cleared his throat, "Nothing."

"Okay, time to go to bed." Rei packed the last card into the box and got off the mattress.

"You sound like our father..." Mai commented.

"Sou ka. Then how about: let's go clubbing and get ourselves drunk on the pavement?"

"When?" Mai beamed.

Rei threw the pillow at her and laughed, "Baka. Hurry up and change."

"Hai hai." Mai lazily dragged herself off Kai's bed…

That night, Mai had borrowed Kenny's laptop. The 24-inch screen flickered in the dark as Mai surfed the internet.

-click- The image of Hovenweep appeared on screen. Mai clicked again for a larger image. 'Tsk. Don't they have better pictures?' Her browsed through the home page: tribes, culture… Mai clicked on 'Legends'.

'Now there was a Great Spirit watching over everything; some people say he was the sun…Ancients chosen by the Great Spirit to be the first people to live upon the new earth, a long, long time ago…difficulty with the early world was that most of the ancients were selfish and uneducated…Great Spirit made life easier and better for them, and performed many wonderful deeds…' Mai read in her head.

'Great Spirit…Are they referring to Eden?'

Mai heard something move, someone was awake.

"What're you doing?" Rei asked, rubbing his eye.

Mai turned around, "Umm," she quickly made up something, 'studying today's statistics for tomorrow. Sorry if I woke you."

Rei looked at her for a while, "Don't stay up too late." and settled back down.

Mai waited till he was asleep before continuing her research. There wasn't much detailed information on the webpage and she was too lazy to browse through the long list of websites the search engine had given her. 'Hmm…I wonder...'

She typed in 'Team Freedom' and clicked 'GO'.

Ok, i know this chapter is a bit boring but bear with me, i need a transition chapter (however boring it may be) for the next few chapters which will be super super interesting! So yeah, please review!


	12. Mystery at the Ruins

Chapter 49------Mystery at the Ruins

-Teet-tet teet-tet teet-tet- Rei awoke to the sound of his digital watch. His heavy eyes focused on the digital screen, '6.00 am…' He plopped his head back down on the pillow and closed his eyes, 'Ok, got to wake up at 0. 10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…0!' The boy jumped out of bed.

'Huh?' His yellow orbs caught sight of something out of the ordinary. Kenny's laptop was still on and next to it, laid a sleeping Mai with her head lying on the table. 'That girl…' He carefully removed the girl's arm off the keyboard, 'So she was researching on them huh.' His eyes looked at the webpage on Team Freedom and then to Mai, 'She must miss them…' "Sorry, Dizzi." Rei whispered and quietly closed the laptop.

"Mai. Maaaiii." Rei tapped the girl's shoulder.

"Hnnn…" Mai felt another nudge, "Whaaat?" She slowly opened her eyes and stifled a yawn.

"We're going to train remember? Get up, it's already 6.20."

"Haaaaah." Mai whined, "Demo…" But the girl got up anyway. After all, she was the one who said training at 5 am.

"Oh yeah, you got a bit of umm –points to the corner of his lip-"

"Huh?" Mai wiped off the bit of drool with the back of her hand. "Sorry."

"Ii yo. (It's okay) Go get ready, I'll wake the rest." Rei left the room to pound on Tyson's door…

-Fast forward-

"C'mon Tyson! Just two more laps!" Mai patted the boy's back as she passed him.

"Muri da yo! Mou tsukaretta yo! (I can't take it anymore, I'm tired.)" The boy squeezed his side to get id of the stitch that had formed.

"Ganbatte! (Do your best.)" Mai cheered before turning her head in front. This was her last lap and she too was squeezing her sides to get rid of the stitch. She passed Rei and Kai who were sprawled on the grassy slope, panting; they had finished their 5 laps.

"Don't stop, Tyson." Max grabbed his friend's arm and pulled him along. The two pushed on.

Mai was almost reaching her end point: the sloping branch of a willow tree. 'Just a little further!' She mustered all her energy and dashed the last 200 metres. She reached the finishing point and bent over, clutching her sides and panting hard. She was breathing in hot air; it felt as though she was sucking all the carbon dioxide she had just exhaled and her chest felt like it could burst. She squinted to see Tyson and Max on the other side of the lake; they were pulling each other along.

The girl dragged herself to where Rei and Kai were seated. She sat down next to Rei and retied her messy hair. "Pass –huh- me my water bottle, -huh- it's the yellow one." Rei placed the bottle beside her and she gave quick thanks before quenching her thirst. She drank nearly half the bottle before she finally stopped, "Aah-huh."

Max and Tyson passed the foursome (includes Kenny). "Go Max! Go Tyson!" Mai shouted. "I DIDN'T HAVE BREAKFAST! HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO HAVE THE ENERGY TO RUN?" Tyson complained but Max kept pushing him along.

"He doesn't look too good." Kenny looked on worriedly.

"Nah, he'll make it. HEY TYSON!"

"WHAT?"

"I'LL TREAT YOU TO WAFFLES IF YOU COMPLETE YOUR LAP!" Mai shouted.

"REALLY?"

"YEAH!"

"OKAY!" Tyson's speed increased slightly.

Mai turned to Kenny and grinned, "See?"

-Fast forward-

Mai came out of the bathroom wearing a red short-sleeved turtle neck which had white wing-shaped buttons to hold the collar together and her favourite ¾ black cargo pants. The towel was draped over her head as she ruffled her hair dry, "Eh? Why are you still here? I thought everyone left for the cafeteria?"

Kai looked at her and then turned back to the TV. 'What is he? Mute or something?' But Mai let it slide. She hurriedly combed her hair and tugged a red bandanna from the bottom of her luggage. She folded the bandanna in half, then half again and wrapped it around her wrist. "Help me a second?" She held out her wrist at Kai. "A knot will do. Yeah, thanks." She tucked the loose ends of the cloth and checked it everything was neat. "Okay, let's go."

-At the Cafeteria-

"Here you go, as promised." Mai placed a plate stacked high with waffles in front of Tyson. There was a scoop of ice cream on top and maple syrup oozing down the sides, which was enough to make anyone's mouth water. Max looked yearningly at the plate and swallowed his saliva.

"Umasou! (Looks delicious)" Tyson dug in. "Amerihan fuffules are duh besh." He gave her a thumbs up and continued stuffing himself.

"So, how's everyone feeling? Muscles aching? Arms heavy?" She scanned the whole group for their response.

Rei rotated his shoulder, "I think Hilary's training regime is worse."

"Sou ka. Then I'll kill you guys tomorrow!" She said in a determined tone and plopped her empty strawberry milk carton on the table.

"Yeah, just make sure I get to eat breakfast first." Tyson said and ate another piece of waffle.

The next few days were the preliminary rounds. The boys passed it with ease and advanced on to the finals. While they trained, Mai and Judy researched on the Norwings and arranged for transport to get to Hovenweep. The daily routine was pretty tiring: training in the morning, matches in the afternoon (research and planning for Mai) and then dinner followed by collapse-on-the-bed-and-fall-asleep-instantly. Mai and the boys only got to see each other in the morning and at night. Moreover, the hardly had time to just sit and talk, so when the American tournament was over, everyone was relieved. Tyson and Max clenched the top spot, followed by the pair from the All Starz Michael and Eddy while Kai and Rei got the third placing.

Mai got to sleep in that day. Although she had to get up at 8 in the morning, it still beat having to get up at 6 am for training. But today was going to be easy as pie; all they were going to do was travel to Hovenweep and spend a few nights there. Judy decided to come along with them so that settled the welfare part of the whole trip.

"Need help?" Tyson pushed the baggage into the baggage compartment overhead and closed the lid.

"Thanks." Mai replied.

"No prob. So which seat are ya taking?"

Mai looked at the row. '4 seats…Um, Kai's sure to take the aisle seat, then there's Kenny and Rei…' Mai chose the middle seats. "Max's is sitting with his mom in row J so you can take the aisle seat. I'll sit over here with the rest." Mai thought that Tyson would like to be with his best buddy during the trip.

"Thanks." The boy settled down next to Max. Kenny took the aisle seat, so that left Rei and Mai in the middle and Kai at the other aisle.

'Tsk, there isn't much space to move.' Mai shifted in her seat as she adjusted the small cushion behind her back.

"Feeling uncomfortable?"

"I'm not used to middle seats." She answered Kenny. "But I thought you'd like to sit next to Tyson, and Kai always takes the aisle seat so… what the heck." She pulled the seat belt over her.

"_Good morning ladies and gentleman and welcome aboard flight AM907 bound for Colorado. The plane will be taking off shortly so please ensure that your seat belts are safely fastened. Meanwhile, please pay attention to the safety video playing on your TV monitors. We wish you a pleasant flight and thank you for flying with American Airlines._"

Mai played with the pull-out table. She had watched the video so many times that it bored her to death. She let out a heavy sigh as she sunk into her seat. "Ne Rei, how long is it to Colorado?"

"3 hours, I think?"

"Sou." Mai folded back the pull-out table. Her gaze landed on Kai's jeans, then went up to his face: cream-coloured skin framed with slate fringe and navy-blue hair, a sharp nose and indifferent crimson eyes that looked bored most of the time. She wondered which part of him was Russian.

"Nani?" He gave her a sideward glance.

"Kai Hiwatari… 'Hiwatari' is a Japanese name right? So which part of you is Russian?"

"That's none of your business." The boy closed his eyes as though he was getting ready to sleep.

The girl frowned. She had asked him in a nice way and this was the tone she got? "Nande tsumetai no kotoba? (What's with that cold tone?) I was only asking." Mai crossed her arms. 'This guy is sooooooo incorrigible!'

"Bie guan ta. Ta jiu shi ze yang zhi, bu ai shuo hua. (Don't mind him. He always doesn't like to talk much)" Rei conversed in Chinese.

Mai nodded slightly, 'Not talking…doesn't that make you lonely?' Mai plugged in the headphones and turned her head to the side, away from Kai. 'Hmph. What a stupid mentality…'

-Colorado…-

"Hai. Hai. Eh, Mai wa daijoubu desu. Hm. Hai, wakarimashita. Ja ne." Tyson hung up the phone.

"So how is he?"

"He's fine. He told us to keep an eye on you."

Mai frowned. There they go again, talking about protection and whatnot.

"Ok guys, the bus is here. Quickly get your things." Judy led the way to the bus bay.

The handed their baggage over to the bus attendant and boarded the bus one by one. The boys occupied the back row of the bus while Judy and Mai took the two seats on their left.

"So, are you excited?"

"Huh? Uh yeah." Mai enthused, but her smile faded as soon as Judy looked away.

"It's a 7 hour drive to Blanding but we're stopping on the way for dinner which will be a bit late so if you're feeling hungry, I've got some biscuits in the blue bag." Judy pointed to the bag at Max's feet.

"Okay, thanks." Mai stared at the tarred road below, the murmuring of the engine reached her ears. The other people were taking their time to board the bus; they were mostly Caucasians probably in their late thirties of forties? She figured they were the only Asians on board. The bus started to pull out of the car park and they were off.

Mai spent most of the ride looking out the window, staring at the buildings, traveling along dusty roads… Sometimes she would lean her head against the window and doze off, only to be woken up by the boys' loud chatter behind her.

'4 more hours till we reach…' Mai looked around for something to do. Mrs. Tate was asleep and the boys were keeping quiet now. She knocked her head against the window, 'There's nothing to do……'

Levian: _Have you forgotten about me?_

'I just trained with you yesterday.'

Levian: _So I'm just a bit-beast then? An object…_

'No, don't say that. Don't bring me down and DON'T bring yourself down. Sometimes I just forget that I can talk to you since you can hear everything inside my head. And when you do talk, it's usually to give me advice.'

Levian: _But you don't seem to need it anymore these days. You can think for yourself and make your own judgments. You're not the girl I found in the alley anymore._

'Maybe… but I still need your guidance. The guys are great and all but…sometimes I just can't tell them everything. They're so over-protective that I don't wanna worry them so much.'

'They've done a lot for me, even Judy had to pull a few strings here and there just to get us here. So if I don't find anything at Hovenweep, I'll feel really bad.'

Levian: _Relax. I'm sure you'll find something. Maybe Eden will guide you…_

Mai sighed, 'Eden…what am I going to do about you?'

-Hotel-

"Haaaahh," Mai yawned as she stepped in the room, "what time is it?"

"9.45 pm." Max replied, checking his watch.

The girl collapsed face-down on the bed. Although she had done nothing strenuous today, all she wanted to do now was sleep.

"C'mon, get up, unless you want to stay with Rei and the rest." Mai felt the bed sink next to her. She mumbled something inaudible and finally rolled over, closing her eyes to block out the ceiling lights.

"Mai, you're staying with us, honey." Judy popped her head through the door.

"Okay." The girl opened her eyes and dragged herself next door with her duffel bag slung over her shoulder. Judy had requested for adjoining rooms to make it easier for them to contact each other.

"Mai, you don't mind sharing, do you? Because there are only two beds."

"No, I'm okay with it." She placed her bag in an empty chair.

"There's one more bed over here, Max!" She called through the adjoining door.

"I get the bed all to myself? Sweet!" The boy sprawled himself on the bed and sighed contently.

-Fast forward-

Max and Mai entered the boys' room while Judy was in the shower. Everyone was in their pyjamas, all ready to sleep, but neither seemed more exhausted than Mai. She immediately fell onto the first bed she saw and closed her eyes.

"You should go to sleep now." Mai heard Rei's voice. She nodded her head against the flower-imprinted bed sheet.

"You know, if you're going to fall asleep there then you'll be sharing it with Kenny and Tyson." Max chuckled.

Mai's eyes shot open and she slowly sat up. "Tomorrow…-yawn- tomorrow we'll be leaving at 10 am. Ja oyasuminasai… (Good night)" She trudged over to the door and shut it gently.

"She looks dead." Kenny commented.

"Yup," was Tyson's reply.

All of them went back to watching TV…

-Morning-

"What do you want? I'll get it for you." Mai offered. Everyone was seated around a long table at the café.

"Scrambled eggs, bacon and some tarts if they have any."

"Right, be back in a sec." With that, Mai hurried off to the buffet table.

She took a plate and dumped a huge scoop of scrambled eggs for Tyson and 2 strips of bacon on it. 'Tarts…where are the tarts? Asoko da! (over there)' Mai pondered over which to choose: strawberry, peach or kiwi? She decided to take all of them. 'Now for mine.'

She carefully manoeuvred herself through the tables, balancing the two plates on each hand. "Here." She placed the plate down in front of Tyson, and what a relief too! He's plate was heavy! She sat down next to Max and went for the delicious-looking strawberry tart on her plate.

"Thanks."

Mai didn't bother, she was too busy eating. She noticed Americans liked eating cereal in the morning; Max and Judy were having it. She looked at Rei's plate and found there was little variety. Like her, he had taken the 'safe' food, also known as I've-seen-it-before-and-know-it's-okay-to-eat food. Asians were used to rice in the morning and apparently, they didn't serve it here.

"So what're you looking for at Hovenweep?" Judy started a conversation.

"I don't really know…But I'm sure I'll find some clues there." Mai nibbled the end of her chocolate éclair.

"Oh, by the way, the road leading to Hovenweep is a dirt road so I advise you guys to wear your hiking shoes. And wear socks! We don't want anyone getting any blisters now, do we?" The lady smiled and continued with her breakfast.

"Hey Mai, can I borrow a pair if you have any extras?" Kenny asked.

"Yeah…"

-Fast forward-

The dust swirled behind them as the four-wheeler travelled down the dirt road. Judy sat in the front with the guide while Mai, Tyson and Kenny crammed in the seat behind them with the rest in the last row. What was worse, the weather was so hot that even the air-conditioning wasn't enough to cool off the heat. Mai wiped the bandana around her wrist over her forehead, "Atsui na… (it's so warm)"

"Can you take us to this place when we get there?" Judy showed the guide the picture. "I went there on an excavation project a few years back so I know the place is off the tourist route."

The guide glanced at the picture before turning back to the road, "I reckon I can get yer there. But I gotta discuss it with headquarters first. The route up there is pretty steep, could be dangerous."

"I understand. Well, if it's within your limits then."

"I'll try ma best, ma'am."

"Thanks for your help."

"We have to climb to get there?" Mai turned to Tyson.

"Saa… (Who knows)" The boy shrugged.

-Fast forward-

"Argh, mendokkuse! (This is so troublesome)" Tyson pulled himself up onto the rock. The guide was a few metres in front leading the way. Step by step, they climbed the rocky path up to Hovenweep National Monument.

"It's just a little further, just over that ledge!" Davies, the guide, pointed over head.

Mai looked up and squinted under the sweltering heat. The desert sure was hot! She wiped her forehead and trudged on. "Whoa!" But a hand had caught her just in the nick of time.

"Careful." Kai pulled her up.

She dusted her hands on her pants, "Thanks."

'Is she all right?' Kai thought.

'God, I look so stupid! He must think I'm some clumsy oaf or something.'

The two waited for each other to move.

"Hey, don't stand there all day staring at each other." Rei chuckled and moved ahead.

"Who says we're staring!" Mai snapped to hide her uneasiness. She quickly caught up with the group with Kai behind her.

"Sugoi… (awesome) " Tyson muttered under his breath as he took in the full view of Hovenweep. The place looked very dry and desolate, a crumbling city sheltered under the canyon. There were tourists, not many, but enough to arouse suspicion if Mai went about her business.

"The place you wanna go isn't here. It's waay over there." Davies pointed to a spot at the bend of the river. "The Cajon ruins."

"What! Then what's the point of making us walk so far?" Tyson complained.

"That's why I had to get here on a helicopter the last time," Judy pointed out. "I told you transportation was hard."

-Fast forward-

Tyson sat on the rock, breathless. The heat and the dry air made the Japanese boy feel like he was in a boiler. Mai went ahead with Judy and Davies to the place in the picture.

'So this is it huh?' Mai stared at the carvings on the wall. The wall looked like it was part of a bigger building that got destroyed. She didn't understand anything except for the symbol that symbolised the Norwings. 'What're all these animals suppose to mean?'

"Want me to interpret the drawings?" Judy came up beside her.

"You understand the language?" Mai was shocked. Judy knew such an ancient language?

"Haha, no. But my friend explained it to me once during the excavation trip. This area was part of the ceremonial building. If you look around, you'll see that the walls remaining actually form a dome shape." Judy mapped out the whole picture with her hands.

"The drawings represent the Spirits they pray to. See this cross within the circle? It represents the four directions, each colour represents a direction. Black for west, White for north, Red for east and Yellow for south. The Pueblo Indians followed these directions when praying. Different ceremonies where done at different directions."

Mai listened intently, Judy knew so much! The Norwings were so different from the Zeelans. But till now, nothing was mentioned about Eden. "Does it say anything about a Spirit called Eden?"

Judy looked at the drawings, "That's about all I know. Sorry."

Mai walked around the ruins a bit more. 'There's gotta be something!' She went off by herself here and there that it was hard for Judy and the rest to keep up with her. One minute she was popping in and out of crumbling buildings and the next she was studying wall paintings.

'Levian, do you feel anything? Like a source of energy?'

Levian: _No. Maybe if you walk around a bit more I may pick up something._

Mai did as she was told; the others had no choice but to tail along behind her. 'So? Anything?'

Levian: _Nothing._

'Nothing?' Mai looked disappointed. 'Then…how? I'll be going back empty-handed?' Mai ran around, there has to be something! She didn't come all this way to find nothing!

"Hey! Wait for us!" Rei called after her.

But the girl didn't listen. Suddenly, something caught her eye. She looked to her left to see a shadow scurry off. "Hey! Wait!" She ran after the person.

"MAI!"

The girl turned corners and ran down pathways, following the mysterious shadow. "Wait! WAIT!" She entered a huge space and scanned the many linking alleyways. 'Crap! I lost him!' "Hey!" She called out. "I don't want any trouble! I just wanted to know if you know about Eden! Great Spirit? Hello? Anyone? Please! I just need some information!"

A figure emerged from the shadows. She was young and dark-skinned, wearing a buffalo-skin vest and dusty-looking pants. By the looks of it, Mai suspected she was a Norwing.

The girl opened her mouth to speak, "You…know Eden?"

"Mai! Thank god! Don't run off by yourse—" But Max paused when he saw the girl.

No one said a word as they stared at each other…

Wah, finally! This chapter took me so long! Anyway, hope you readers enjoyed it XD! Review! Thanks!


	13. Reliving the Past

Chapter 50------Reliving the Past

A figure emerged from the shadows. She was young and dark-skinned, wearing a buffalo-skin vest and dusty-looking pants. By the looks of it, Mai suspected she was a Norwing.

The girl opened her mouth to speak, "You…know Eden?"

"Mai! Thank god! Don't run off by yourse—" But Max paused when he saw the girl.

No one said a word as they stared at each other…

Mai took a step closer to the girl but she moved away. "It's okay, I won't hurt you. I just want to know about Eden?"

"What do you think you're doing—who's that?" Judy emerged into the empty courtyard.

The stranger looked anxious at the number of people gathering around her. She moved a little closer to the shadows, ready to escape if any danger was to come upon her.

"They won't hurt you. I promise." Mai made a quick head gesture to her friends to stay back. She pulled off her bandana, "See? I'm a Zeelan." She showed the girl her wrist and saw her head jerk as if something had clicked in her mind.

"You…Zeelan?"

"Yeah," Mai nodded and slowly moved nearer to the girl, she didn't want to scare her. "Are you a Norwing? I'm looking for this." She took out the jewel.

The girl seemed to step back in fright. Mai knew she had made a bad move when the girl turned to run. 'Dammit!' "Wait!" Mai chased after her.

"MAI!"

"Jamada! (Stay out of this)" She yelled.

'Stay out of this? She's asking us to stay out of this?' A vein in Kai's temple twitched. "YOU IDIOT! COME BACK HERE! REI!" The neko-jin nodded and both boys chased after the mulish girl.

'I can't let her get away! She knows something!' Mai was determined to catch the girl no matter how far she ran.

"AHULI!" Mai heard the girl shout as though she was calling someone.

It was then that Mai knew she wasn't alone; there were more people in the ruins. As she ran, out of the corner of her eye she could see figures moving about. She grew nervous, she was on her own, and if they attacked, she'd be a goner.

Suddenly, something stabbed at the ground, almost missing her feet. 'Ack!' Mai saw a small spear sticking out of the ground. 'Okay, this is bad!' Another spear landed behind her. 'Eek!' She picked up her pace, the girl ran ahead but she couldn't have gone far. It was tricky, having to avoid things thrown at you while running after someone; you had to have a lot of agility and alertness. Mai missed another weapon, "HEY! I'M NOT GONNA HURT HER! I JUST WANT TO KNOW ABOUT EDEN!" She shouted in indignation. Why on earth were they attacking her? She said she wasn't gonna hurt anyone!

Suddenly, a huge man riding a horse appeared and blocked her path. 'NANI?' Mai screeched to a halt and turned back to run. So they were chasing _her_ now? She heard the hooves of the horse gallop on the ground, 'Bad! Bad! Bad! How am I supposed to outrun a horse for crying out loud?' She turned as many corners as she could, running through small backstreets she knew the horse couldn't pass through. But that wasn't the only danger, there were other people popping up here and there and she found herself having to run away from them as well.

'Eek!' Mai turned back but another man blocked her path, she was trapped! She searched in desperation for a way out. 'Up? No, they're too tall! Side? Too wide!' "Okay! Okay! I surrender, just please don't hurt me!" Mai raised her hands. She saw one of them grin and say something to his friend. The exchanged words in a language she didn't understand and took her by the arms; she was surprised it wasn't forcefully considering how big the men were.

"Ahuli!"

The sound of hooves again, Mai saw someone coming towards them. The man pulled the reins of the horse and the creature came to a stop. His long hair was up in a ponytail and he was wearing a red band around his forehead with a lock of his hair beaded with a feather at the end. Like the girl, he too had on buffalo-skinned clothes.

The man stared down at the girl, Mai looked up at him.

"Let go!"

Mai heard Rei's familiar voice. "Rei! Kai!" She saw the two boys struggling under the grasp of their captors.

"They your companions?"

Mai looked up at the man who had spoken, "Yeah, you…speak English?"

But the man let out a laugh and instructed the others to do something. Again Mai couldn't understand but she soon found out what he said, they were tying her wrists together; the same was done for Rei and Kai. The ropes were then attached to the saddle of the horse. Mai watched in horror, 'You can't be serious! He's gonna drag us along as the horse runs?'

"Tsk tsk." The man commanded and the horse moved along in a relaxed pace. It pulled the ropes and Mai and the rest found no choice but to follow. She felt like a slave, but was grateful he didn't make the horse to run.

"Sorry guys…" Rei and Kai avoided her gaze. 'They're mad at me…why wouldn't they be? I got them into this mess…' She sighed and focused on where she was stepping on. 'I guess they won't be talking to me for a long time…'

-Fast forward-

"So you can't find them?" Judy was fretful. "My goodness! They can't be found! How am I going to explain this to their parents?" She paced back and forth, rubbing her brows.

"We've searched the whole area ma'am. We couldn't find anything. But it's strange that the natives would take away tourists. They usually don't bother us." The sergeant said.

"It's okay, mom. I'm sure they're fine." Max patted his mother's back.

"Are they really?" She looked at her son with woeful eyes, "What if something happens to them?"

"Mai is…special. She can take care of herself." Max recalled the time when Mai had changed into Eden and fought off the men back in her village. "Yeah…she can take care of herself."

"Tyson, can you try their phones again?"

Tyson did as he was told, he tapped his phone on his hand, "I can't get a signal. They must be out of range." He tried again.

"Officer, please. Please find them, search every Indian settlement if you have to." Judy pleaded.

"We'll do our best ma'am. It's getting late, I suggest you board the helicopter and we'll take you back to town. We can return in the morning to continue the search."

"Okay…that's okay." Judy was trying to reassure herself, "Tomorrow then." She forced a smile. "Boys, let's go."

-Wherever Mai is being held captive…-

Mai and the boys were led into a cave and made to sit in a corner by the fire, they were still tied up. Mai spotted the girl from earlier on; she was bringing in the horse. Their eyes locked for a second before she turned away. "Ahuli." She came up beside the man who had brought them here. 'So he's called Ahuli.' Mai thought.

Ahuli sat crossed-legged across from them and placed his hands on his thighs. He looked at the three of them, they looked back at him. Finally, he spoke, "My sister says you claim to know of Eden."

Mai nodded her head. The girl whispered something in her brother's ear, he nodded. The girl approached Mai and reached for her ropes, she began untying them. Mai looked at her with a shocked expression, but the girl's face told her it was all right. She lifted Mai's right wrist and showed it to her brother. "Namito (See), Zeelan."

"So you are not ancestors of white people. Where you come from?" Ahuli spoke.

"China."

"They are also Zeelan?" He pointed to Rei and Kai.

"No, they are Humans."

"I see. Secrets of our tribe are not for their ears. We must keep the mystery of the Sacred Four. Wohali, take them away and give them food and drink."

He let out a laugh at Mai's reaction. "We are not selfish people, we welcome anyone in peace. Don't worry, you will see them again."

Mai watched as Rei and Kai were taken away.

"Mai!"

"Gomenasai, Kai, Rei. Honto ni gomenasai." She bowed her head; she didn't deserve to be called their friend…What kind of friend always gets her friends in danger?

A plate was placed before her, it made her look up. "Come, eat. We will not have energy to talk if we are hungry." Ahuli gestured to the plate and Mai timidly picked up a cob of corn.

Everyone ate in silence, but once in a while small chatter was passed between each other. They had given Mai corn, barbequed fish and some flat bread. It was simple, but it was enough to fill her stomach. 'These people live such simple lives,' Mai thought as she nibbled the piece of flat bread.

"Tell me," Ahuli placed his cup down, "what do you know about Eden?"

Mai waited for his sister to clear her plate and muttered her thanks. The girl was about to follow the other women when Ahuli called her back, "Chewett, you stay and listen."

The girl reluctantly gave up her plates and sat down next to her brother. "Tell us about Eden." He asked again.

"I don't know much… My elders didn't tell us about Eden. I found out about the legend myself. They say in the past, there were four tribes: Norwings, Dreads, Saint Shields and Zeelans. They lived in peace because Eden looked after them. Then the Dread high priest wanted to capture Eden to gain power over the others. This caused a war and made Eden angry. He sent seven disasters down to Earth and the people suffered terribly. The high priests from the four tribes couldn't control Eden, he was too powerful and so they decided to seal him in a rock. But Eden vowed that his two souls will reincarnate in one of the four tribes in a 50 year generation cycle. The priests were afraid of this, so they scattered his powers in four jewels and hid them in the four corners of the Earth." Mai finished.

Chewett spoke to her brother again. He turned back to Mai, "She says you have the jewel. Can I see it?"

Mai hesitated.

"I will not take it from you. You can hold it in your hand."

Feeling a little more secure, she took out the jewel from her pocket and held it near the fire so that Ahuli could see it.

His sister said something that made his eyes narrow. "Why have you come here?" His friendly demeanor was gone and the others around them started whispering, this made Mai very nervous.

"I-I'm looking for this."

"There is no jewel here! You bring destruction to our land if you have jewel!" Ahuli bellowed.

'What?' Mai didn't understand.

"Legend says two souls will resurrect in offspring of Sacred Four; one good and the other bad. Jewels have great powers, if given to wrong soul, will cause destruction like in the past!"

"I know that, that's why I want to stop it from happening. Because…Because I have Eden's soul!" Mai reasoned.

"You lie!" Mohali yelled. "Our ancestors suffered in the war, so many in ourkind were killed! We will not let same thing happen again!"

"Please! I'm telling the truth. I need the jewels to stop my friend, he has the other soul. He wants to free Eden and use his power against Humans."

"How we know you speak the truth?" Ahuli leaned back, scrutinizing the girl's face for sincerity.

"I don't know how to show you…But I really have Eden's soul. Please believe me!" Mai begged.

"Maybe we consult the Spirits, see if girl speaks the truth." One of them said.

Ahuli paused, as if considering the suggestion. "Chewett, tell Chief to prepare for Whakan ritual."

The girl bowed her head and left the area, calling two women along with her.

'Whakan ritual? What're they going to do?' Mai grew worried. 'It's not those sacrificial rituals, is it?' "Where are you taking me?" She got pulled up by the arms, "let me go!"

"Quiet! We take you to see our Chief. Then we will know if you speak the truth." Ahuli hushed her.

'Chief? Why? What are they going to do with me?' She panicked; so many questions raced in her mind.

The men brought her to another part on the cave. Cave drawings dotted the walls and in the middle of the space, sat an old figure with greying hair. Beside him, Chewett seemed to be preparing something. Mohali placed some firewood in the holes dug in the walls and lit a fire, illuminating the area with a dusty glow. Mai was made to sit in front of the old man. She studied his face, it was wrinkled, like that of creased plastic, and his eyes were narrowed down to slits. She wondered if he could see under such dim light.

He spoke to Ahuli, who translated his words to Mai, "He asks your name."

"Mai."

The Chief nodded, "Ahh, Mai. Behanem ye amanosa."

"He says you are young."

'Huh? Young?' "Uhh, thank you." Mai bowed her head. It was a universal language for respect right?

"He says to lie down. Chewett, you lie next to her."

The girls did as they were told. Mai had no idea what was going on, but it was not like she could get herself out of the situation.

The old man spoke again. "He asks if you want to do ritual. Ritual will show you past, but you must never let go of Chewett's hand no matter what, otherwise you may not wake up again."

Mai turned to look at Chewett; the girl smiled and took her hand. She smiled nervously, 'If I let go of her hand…I may not wake up…But…'

Her grip on Chewett's hand tightened, "I will do the ritual."

"You very sure?"

Mai nodded her head, "Yeah." She spoke to Chewett, "Don't let go, okay?"

The Chief lit some incense and began chanting some funny words. He took out an object that looked like a funnel that was cut in half and placed some red sand in it. Mai started to feel sleepy as she breathed in the heavy smell of incense. The chanting and the soft shaking of instruments were lulling her to sleep. She looked at Chewett's face one last time before closing her eyes…

-Rei and Kai…-

"Mai isn't back yet," Rei leant his head against the hard wall. "I hope she's okay." He looked across at Kai; the boy was facing the entrance of their room, as if waiting for someone to show up. Rei knew he shouldn't have said that, it would only make Kai worry more.

Kai let out a sigh of frustration, "Argh! If she had just stayed still none of this would've happened!"

"But they said we would see her again. I'm sure they'll keep their word." The neko-jin said.

"Hmph." Kai turned away. 'If anything happens to her…'

-Back to Mai, Mai's POV in Dream-

Doko da? (Where am I) This place looks so familiar…I'm in the forest near my village?

"Come." I took Chewett by the hand and led her through the forest to where my village was. I froze, I had returned to the time when my village was being burnt.

"Oka-san." I could save my mother, I could do something! I was about to run but Chewett held me back. She shook her head.

"But I have to save my mother!" I argued.

Chewett struggled to say something, as if in desperate attempt to tell me not to do something, but was finding it hard to tell me. "Past…no change!"

"You mean I can't change the past?"

The girl shook her head vigorously. "People…-points to eyes then points to Mai-"

I understood what she meant; people could see me in this world. If I was seen, I'd be changing the past and that meant changing the future…

Suddenly, there was rustling in the bushes. I forced Chewett's head down and the both of us hid behind a bush.

"Mai! Don't look back!"

Huh? Oto-san? I saw myself and my father break into the forest, running. I remember this part! Wait, this means my Grandfather is close by! I pulled Chewett along; I knew exactly where I was headed.

I peered through the bushes. I saw myself arguing with my Grandfather. My father pushed me off the cliff.

"Henry! You fool!"

-BANG-

Have you ever seen your loved one get killed right in front of your eyes? Do you know how much it hurts? Knowing that you couldn't doanything to save him? I found myself crying as my father fell to the ground, a pool of blood slowly forming at his side.

"Oto-sama…Oto-sama." I covered my mouth as I cried, I couldn't shout. I felt Chewett pat my back. I waited for my Grandfather and his men to leave before running to my father's side. I placed my hand over his eyes and closed them, "Rest well, Oto-sama…"

I walked back to the village to find everything burnt nicely, no smoke, even the sky had changed…What happened?

"Dragoon!"

That sounds like Tyson! But what is he— "We travelled in time again?" I looked at Chewett. The girl shrugged. I made my way to the road leading up to the shrine and sure enough, I found the guys fighting off Mike.

"No...Get away from them … GET AWAY FROM THEM!"

I saw a huge aura explode around me. That was me? So this is what happened the last time. I watched myself fight off the bad guys, I was out of control.

"Stop it, Mai!" Rei tugged at my shirt.

"Stay out of this Human!"

"That's not my voice," I muttered under my breath. Chewett seemed to be in shock too, she pointed to the other Mai and then to me. "Yes, that's me when I turn into Eden."

I watched the part where I collided into Kai. You mean it really happened? I blushed and turned to Chewett, she didn't have much of a reaction, phew…

I passed scenes where I had met the Saint Shields, the time when Levian had run away, the part where I saw Riya and the others again…

"Riya? What's going on?" I watched the conversation between Riya and myself.

"Just now, when we touched, did you feel it? That pang in your head?"

"You felt it too? But how can—?"

"That's what I'm going to explain now. Do you know about the legend of Eden?"

"Yeah! He got sealed in the rock for causing destruction. Archaeologists found the rock, it was on the news."

"Yes, that one. Before he was sealed, he promised something, that his two souls would reincarnate every 50 generations. Do you know about that?"

"Yes but what has this have to –You mean! You have Eden's soul too?"

On the night of the opening ceremony, Riya said something that placed a barrier between us…

"I hate them! They treat us like dirt! Beat us up, make fun of us, kill us off like ants! I've had enough!"

"I know they've gone overboard and deserved to be punished but we're just teenagers! How do you expect us to get revenge?"

"With Eden." Riya replied.

Then there was the memory of the beybattle against Riya. I'd never forget his eyes, they were so cold, and he acted as if he didn't care. Was this what Eden's soul had done to him? Blinded his ability to differentiate between right and wrong?

Chewett watched as both forms of Eden battled it out. Every time I looked at her, she would nod her head, as though telling me she understood what was going on.

I watched the time when I bid farewell to Riya and the rest…the times when I had fun with the Bladebreakers and Hilary… But one scene fired up my emotions once more…

"THE HELL I DO! KONNO BAKEMONO! KAA-SAN TO OTOU-SAN WA KOROSHITA! (YOU MONSTER! YOU KILLED MY PARENTS!)"

"Yes, it's true I killed Serena and Henry but I did it so I could save _you_. They were going to kill you in the end! I wanted to rescue my only Granddaughter."

"What do you want with Eden?"

"Well, I plan on making the DAICHI Empire a legacy, and you my dear, are going to help me."

Grandfather…Oh how I hate you so much for what you did! One day, just wait, one day you'll get your retribution!

"She's all yours men!"

I wanted to burst through the door and help myself but Chewett held me back.

"Let go! You don't know him! He's going to kill me!" I tugged my arm.

"You no wake up!"

"I don't care!" I had to save myself! This was the chance I had to get back at my Grandfather!

"We go back now!"

"No! Not until I kill him!" I finally pulled my hand free but…

-End of dream, end of Mai's POV-

Mai's eyes shot open, she was back in the cave. Chewett was awake too, she was panting. Mai sat up, "Don't move!" Ahuli said. Mai looked around her; she and Chewett were in the middle of a huge circle drawn from coloured sand. She stiffened, not daring to damage the circle in case something bad happened.

"Get up slowly, but don't touch circle."

Chewett leapt over the sand patterns with ease. 'How am I supposed to do that?' Mai nimbly tiptoed among the gaps in the patterns till she found it near enough to jump onto the clear space.

"I let go of her hand…but why am I back here?"

Chewett was happy to speak in her own familiar language to her brother, "She say she use her left hand to grab you."

Mai smiled, "Thank you." She bowed, "thank you so much."

"She also says you speak truth –turns to listen to Chewett- but you have suffered many terrible things, she feel sad for you."

"You were crying during the ritual," Ahuli said on his own accord as Chewett left them to tell of her experience to the Chief.

"Huh?" Mai touched her face, it was wet. She reallydid crying. "Sorry." She wiped them with her sleeve.

The Old Chief said something and once again, Ahuli translated, "He says a young girl like you is given great task. Many people want power of Eden, but you only person who can use it. He asks you to do what is right and use it well. Be strong and the Spirits will guide you."

"Oh…" Mai looked at her feet. "Then what about the jewel? It really isn't here?"

"We will speak of that tomorrow. Now you must sleep, your brothers are waiting for you."

'Brothers? Kai and Rei?' Mai decided not to correct him, "Yeah, I've caused them a lot of trouble."

"Tayanita, take her to her brothers."

Mai was led out of the stuffy area. Finally! Finally she'd get to see Kai and Rei!

"Mai!" Kai got up the instant Mai appeared at the doorway.

"Did they do anything to you?" Rei scanned the girl for any injury.

"I'm fine." She moved between the two boys and sat on the straw mat, the others followed.

"You were crying?" Rei looked concerned. "They _did_ do something to you, didn't they?"

The girl looked at Rei and then at Kai. She let out a small laugh, though he didn't show it, she could tell from his eyes that Kai was as worried as Rei. She dried the last of her tears, "I saw my Father die…"

"Mai…"

"But everything's fine now," she quickly added, "it's in the past…"

"Why do you keep everything to yourself? Why can't you just tell us what happened?"

"Why don't you?" She kindly replied at the two-toned-haired boy.

"This isn't about me! Don't change the subject!"

"Kai… I've put you through a lot and… Out of all the boys, I think you suffer the most."

Her words struck him.

"So now I want to apologise," Mai didn't know what she was doing but somehow she just wanted to do it, it felt right. She bowed her head, "Gomenasai. Yurushite kudasai onegaishimasu. (Please forgive me)"

'Eh? Why is she doing this all of a sudden?' "B-baka! Why are you saying sorry?"

Mai raised her head, "I'm not doing this because I want your pity. I don't want it from you or Rei or anyone else. I'm doing it because I've done something wrong and so I must apologise and seek forgiveness or face my punishment. If you want to shout at me then go ahead, I deserve it. I don't want people to pity me just because my life is harder than others."

"We don't pity you; we're just worried about you. C'mon, let's forget about it, Kai can shout at you all he wants in the morning." Rei moved to the end of the mat and lay down.

Mai lay down at the other end, leaving a big space in the middle for Kai.

"You can apologise a thousand times, and we can forgive you a thousand times," She felt Kai next to her. "But you'll always end up doing the same thing…"

Mai didn't answer, Kai was right. But she wouldn't have gotten this far if it weren't for her recklessness. If she had led the 'safe' life like Kai wanted her to, she should have just handed over the jewel to Riya and let him destroy the world. But she couldn't do that, she couldn't! Freeing Eden was not something she could accomplish by just sitting at home!

Mai turned and grabbed Kai's hand, "Please don't worry so much about me." Realising what she had done, she let go of his hand.

Kai looked at her, she still held their gaze. "Somehow I find that hard to do…" He lay on his side and faced Rei.

Mai turned the other way and sighed, 'Kai…what do you want from me?'

Yeah, Kai, what do you want from her? He's really frustrating isn't he? Hello readers! It's my fiftieth chapter! haha! That's like...A LOT! I'm actually done with 51 but i shan't post it now :P Please review!


	14. Valley of Snakes

Chapter 51------Valley of Snakes

Mai was about to reach for his shoulder when she recalled something, '"Somehow I find that hard to do…"'. She decided to use her leg, "Hey, wake up." She nudged him again.

The boy didn't move. For fun, Mai wanted to kick the guy but she thought that would only make him even grouchier. She could never have fun with him like she did with the rest, she was afraid of making him angry and she didn't like Kai when he was angry.

She tugged at his scarf, "Get up, or I'm leaving without you." She pulled again but the clothing slipped out of her hand. "You're awake?"

Kai sat up and fixed his scarf while Mai went to wake Rei.

"Hurry up; they said we can only see it during sunrise."

"Huh? See what?" Rei rubbed his eyes.

"The Valley of Snakes." Mai replied while hurrying the two boys off the mat so she could put it away. "There's a stream outside the cave, you can freshen up there. I'll go get you guys something to eat so I'llmeet you there, okay?" She ran out of the room.

-Outside the cave-

A half moon was out tonight, but there was enough light to see. The air was warm, the rustle of the wind and the cry of a chayote in the night, the two boys sat listening to the calls of nature. It was things like these that made one cherish the beauty of nature.

"Here." Mai gave them some flat bread to munch on. "Ahuli's waiting for us." She motioned for them to follow her. Just a few metres from her destination, Mai knew what she would be facing, the neighing gave it away.

'Horses!' Under the moonlight, stood three majestic mustangs; one dark-brown, one white and one caramel-coloured. The white one was beautiful; it stood out among the rest, probably because its coat reflected the moon beams well, giving it a glowing effect.

"We're riding there?" Mai felt excitement build up inside.

"Quickest way is by horse." Ahuli replied as he stroked his brown mustang. "Mohali and Chewett come along. Mai, you ride with me."

Kai looked at him, and then turned to Mai who so happily got on the horse with Mohali's help. He decided to let it go…

"Rei, you ride with Mohali. Kai can go with Chewett." Mai told them as she sat behind Ahuli; they were all set to go.

The two boys got on their horses with little effort.

"Ready?" Ahuli waited for them to nod. "Tsk tsk."

The first gallop made Mai clutch the handle on the saddle even tighter but she couldn't deny that it felt nice to be riding on a horse, especially one that was galloping. 'This is so cool!' The wind in her hair, the sound of hooves crushing the dry leaves below, it was a whole new experience for her.

Once they were out of the forest, the group slowed down to a more brisk pace as the horses prepared to go uphill.

"We must reach top before sunrise. Only then we can see Valley of Snakes." Ahuli informed as he walked side by side with the horse up the dirt path. Mai rocked alone on the saddle. 'Maybe one day I can ride on my own,' she thought as her fingers combed through the horse's mane. It felt dry, but soft. She turned to check on the rest, they were doing fine.

Ahuli seemed to know this route well, even in the dark he knew exactly where he was going. All Mai could see were shadows and dark areas, the only things she was sure she could make out were in a 5 metre radius around her.

On the way, they made a few stops to let the horses rest and drink before moving on again. The last phase of the trek seemed a little rushed but they managed to make it to the top in time to watch the sunrise. Ahuli tied the three horses to a nearby tree and placed a few fruit on the ground for them to eat before joining the rest.

"So what's the Valley of Snakes?" Rei asked.

"Sacred place we protect for many centuries." Ahuli answered.

"Why? Is there something there?" Mai probed deeper into the mystery of this Valley of Snakes.

"You see when we get there."

"Ahuli!" Mohali pointed to the horizon. A thin orange glow appeared, slowly followed by the curvature of something round.

"The sun's rising!"

Everyone ran to the edge of the cliff. Why the sun's rising was so important Mai did not know, but she soon found out.

"Look there! Near the waterfall!"

Her eyes focused on the waterfall, "What're we looking at?"

"Follow the rainbow. It show you entrance to valley."

The end of the rainbow disappeared under the water. "B-But it ends in the water." She looked again to double-check. Yup, it ended underwater.

"That is entrance."

"You mean to tell us it's underwater?" Rei had a sceptical look on his face.

"Come, now we go to waterfall." Ahuli went to where the horses were.

"Are you sure about this? Who's ever heard of an underwater entrance?" The boy questioned Mai.

"We won't know until we get there. Besides, they've been good to us up till now."

"That doesn't mean you can trust them." Kai chipped in as he stood by Rei, clearly defining his side on the issue.

"If anything happens…I'll take full responsibility."

"What responsibility can you take if you're already DEAD?" Kai retorted in a cold but calm tone. "Stop being so reckless."

Mai glared at him. "You don't get it do you? If I don't do something then Riya will free Eden! I warned you that being with me was dangerous and you guys accepted it!" Her eyes narrowed in anger, "Just because you care a lot about me doesn't mean that I'll be the fragile girl who always needs your protection!" She stormed off.

Kai was taken aback. No one had ever shouted at him like that before, not even accuse him of doing something wrong which he thought was right. He was always right! He did it for the benefit of others so of course it was right! "Fine…FINE! I WON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR STUPID LIFE ANYMORE!"

"FINE!" Mai shouted back from where she sat on Ahuli's horse.

"Is something wrong?" Ahuli turned his head to question her.

"No," she mumbled. "Let's go."

-Back at Hovenweep National Monument-

"Did you check every single building?"

"Yes ma'am. No sign of them." The officer replied the blonde lady.

"Keep looking. Tyson! How's the signal over there?"

"They're still plugging the satellite!" He shouted back.

Judy went over to where the two boys were. The technician had fixed up a small satellite dish to a box which was joined to Tyson's hand phone by a thin cable. "Okay, try again."

Tyson dialled Rei's number…

-Back to Mai and the rest…-

A techno beat broke the silence, "Stop," Mai tapped Ahuli's shoulder. She turned around to see Rei holding his phone and quickly got off the horse.

"Hello? Tyson?"

Mai came up next to him, "Don't tell them where we are!" she whispered.

"Uh yeah, we're fine. No, nobody's hurt. She's here with us. Hold on," Rei handed the phone to Mai, "Mrs Tate wants to speak to you."

'Crap…' Mai reluctantly took the phone, she knew what was coming. "Hi, Mrs Tate. I'm fine." She held the phone at a distance, "Sorry Mrs Tate. I know. I promise we'll come back. Sorry. Sorry."

The boys watched as Mai's face cringed with every 'sorry'; they knew she was getting an earful from Max's mom.

"There's no need. We'll definitely come back after I've found what I'm looking for. Soon. I can't. I'm really sorry Mrs Tate but I need to go. We'll come back tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. We'll call you. Okay bye!" Mai hurriedly pressed the disconnect button.

"She's not happy, is she?" Rei took back his phone.

"She's livid. I'm definitely gonna get a bad scolding when we get back…"

-Back to Tyson and rest-

"Mai? MAI!" Judy ended the call in a fury.

"It's okay, Mrs Tate. At least we know they're safe." Tyson tried to calm her down.

"How do you expect a parent to calm down knowing that their child is out there in the wilderness with a bunch of strangers? I'm responsible for your safety and I lose three of you!"

"Mom, they said they'll come back. Just let Mai find what she's looking for," Max said.

"But what is she looking for? You boys keep telling me it's something important but what is it? And to travel all the way out here just to look for it? WHAT IS SO IMPORTANT?"

"She's looking for a jewel, okay? A jewel!" Max couldn't keep it in any longer. If he didn't tell her, she was going to snap. He lowered his tone, "Sorry... Mai, she isn't like us, she's different."

"What do you mean? Mai's abnormal?"

"She…I know you're not gonna believe me when I say this but…And you can't tell this to anyone! But Mai is –"

-Back to Mai-

"The spot where the rainbow ended was uh……over there, I think." Mai pointed to the surface of the water near the plunge pool. She looked at the raging water, 'We have to swim there? But the current…'

Mohali dipped himself into the water, "Ahuli! I go check!" With that, he took a deep breath and dived under the water.

"Impossible…Even if there is an entrance, we won't be able to hold our breath long enough." Rei stared worriedly at the spot where Mohali had dived under; everyone was waiting for him to resurface.

3 minutes…

6 minutes…

8 minutes…

"Gaah!" A head popped up from the water and took a deep breath of air. Mohali swam towards shore, Chewett and Ahuli helped him out of the water. The man lay on the ground trying to catch his breath. Once he had had calmed down, he was ready to talk.

"There is entrance under rock to Valley of Snakes, but water is strong."

"Is there anything on the other side?" Mai asked.

"Mm!" He nodded. "Big lake inside cave!"

'A cave…How did the jewel end up in a cave?' Mai wondered.

"We go?" Ahuli looked at her and received a determined nod.

"C-Chotto! Maji ka yo? (Are you serious) We're really going swim?" Rei stopped Mai before she entered the water.

"If the jewel's there then I'm going. You coming?"

Rei looked at the water nervously and then turned back to Mai, "What if you can't hold your breath long enough?"

Mai looked at him and finally understood. "Rei, you don't have to come if you don't want to." She dug into her pocket, "Here, you can look after this for me; I might lose it in the water." She dropped the jewel into his palm.

"Kiotsukete ne. (Be careful)"

"Thanks." She smiled and slipped into the water.

"Chewett, stay with the boy." Ahuli told his sister who objected. He said some words in his own language; she frowned but agreed to stay behind.

"Tie this around hand." Ahuli had used the reins from the horses to form a long rope. He tied a knot around his hand, leaving a metres length before tying it around Mai's hand. "So we don't lose each other in water."

"Oh…" Mai pulled a bit at the rope around her wrist, it was too tight.

The four of them swam towards the waterfall, "Take deep breath. One, two, three!" All of them dove under.

Mai couldn't keep her eyes fully open; she had to squint because the tiny particles in the water were hurting her eyes. She could see tiny bubbles swarming towards her but the tugging at her hand kept her swimming forward. She swam under the rock but there was still a long way more to swim. She felt her lungs squeezing, 'How long more is this tunnel?' She swam upstream against the current, she felt herself swimming upwards. 'We're reaching! We're reaching!' She kicked her legs forward, the water was getting clearer.

"Uaghhh!" She sucked in as much as much air as she could. She wiped away the water from her eyes and took in her surroundings. She was swimming in a lake, a very big lake in a dark place. 'Where have I seen this before? ... Oh that's right, when I found Levian…'

"You okay?" Ahuli asked while paddling in the water to stay afloat.

"Yeah."

The two of them swam to shore where Mohali and Kai were waiting. Mai crawled on all fours, as the waves pushed her forward. She pulled at her shirt and pants as she stood up, she didn't like the feeling of them clinging to her body, it made her very uncomfortable.

Mai turned back to look at the lake, it was a pale misty blue but the shore was as grey as the cave they were in. If it weren't for the sparkling rocks, everything would've looked very dull.

"This way."

Ahuli led them through a short tunnel. Strangely enough, there was light at the end of it. 'This…is the Valley of Snakes?' Mai had walked into a huge cavern, patches of light blotched the floor below. She looked up, the light was seeping through the small holes in the ceiling. 'There's nothing impressive about this place. Made me all worked up for nothing…'

She saw something out of the ordinary in front of her. "Sugoi!" She ran to the stone carving, "Nani kore?" She placed her hand on the stone; the shape of a snake was carved into it.

"That is Naga. He is guardian of this place." Ahuli informed.

Mai scanned the carving from head to –"That's the jewel!"

Kai looked up, a small gleaming thing shone in the snake's right eye. He looked around, 'Nanka…warui no kimochi (I have a bad feeling about this).' It was too easy.

Mai reached for the jewel.

'This sound!' "Abunai! (Watch out)" Kai pulled her hand away.

"What're you—SNAKE!" She drew back in fright.

The rattling grew louder and from the hole in the stone snake's mouth, Mai saw a thin black tongue flicking in and out with two beady eyes shining through the darkness. A snout followed by the snake's head emerged slowly out of the hole.

"Ahas! (Snake)" Mohali alerted Ahuli.

Mai stepped back a few metres as the snake slithered out of its hiding place, winding side to side, slowly revealing its full length.

"It's a rattlesnake." She heard Kai mutter. She forgot that he was still holding her hand, and they were standing so close…She quickly pulled away.

"Stay back!" Ahuli made a pushing gesture. He quickly looked around for something he could use to fight off the snake.

"Ahuli!"

Mohali tossed him the reins. He caught it and used it as a whip, striking the ground so that the snake would stay back.

"Kai…" Mai reached for Kai's shoulder, she sounded worried.

"What?" There was urgency in his voice.

"Motto kitta. (There are more coming)" She squeezed his shoulder even tighter.

From the left, a snake slithered on the ground. There was another coming from the right. They were everywhere!

'No wonder they call this place the Valley of snakes.' Kai looked around, there were so many of them! Furthermore, they were unarmed!

"Hssssaah!" One of the snakes barred it fangs.

They were done for…

Heyllooos! I've decided to shorten my chapters, they're getting too long and people don't really like long chapters so...yeah, it's for mass appeal to more readers! ahaha! Thanks for reading! Please review!


	15. Breaking Point

Chapter 52------Breaking Point

"Don't. Move." Kai whispered.

Mai stayed stiff next to Kai, her heart racing as she watched the snake for any movement. It was curled up and the front of its body was pulled back, it could strike any time it wanted to. A voice in her head was pestering her to get the jewel! Get the jewel! But she didn't dare move.

"Ahuli, clear an opening for Mai, let her get the jewel." Kai called back without taking his eyes off the snakes.

Ahuli nodded and looked at Mai, "You get jewel. We protect you."

"But!" 'If I move, I'll get bitten!'

"What're you waiting for? Go!" Kai rushed her as he took out his beyblade.

The girl hesitantly hopped from snake-free space to snake-free space as Ahuli and the rest cleared a path for her. How did she get into this mess? Entering a snake pit? It's got to be the craziest thing she had ever done!

Mai made her way to the wall, she had to hurry. She reached for the jewel, 'Dammit! It's too high!' Her right foot felt for a foot hole in the rock and she managed to prop herself up a little higher. 'C'mon! C'mon!' Her nails felt around the jewel, it wasn't coming out! She checked on the guys, they were still battling the snakes using whatever they had. She took out her beyblade and started scrapping its attack ring against the rock, anything to loosen the jewel. 'Argh! It's not coming out! I need something sharp!' "I can't get it out! Do you have anything sharp?"

"Sharp?" Ahuli answered. He remembered his necklace. "Here!" He tossed it to Mai.

She caught it and began hammering the sharp fang into the rock. It was taking a very long time to get the jewel out and Mai knew she couldn't afford that time, the guys couldn't hold off the snakes forever. She pried the fang into the side of the jewel, knocking the other end with her beyblade, she was going to force out the stupid thing. The rock was breaking up, the jewel was coming out!

But suddenly her body froze, she stopped breathing and her heart beat raced…

"Mai! Stay still!" Ahuli shouted.

Kai turned to see what had happened, a black snake was hanging from the opening of the stone snake's mouth, it head was less than a foot away from Mai. 'Mai!'

The girl's breathing came in small short gasps; her eyes glanced sideways at Ahuli, as if asking him what to do. The snake was looking directly at her, 'Don't move! Don't move!' she reminded herself. Her arm tensed up as the snake's body brushed against her arm, its tongue flicking in and out. And then it slithered onto her arm! Mai held back her scream; this was the worse day of her life! 'Just go away! Please! Just go away!'

"Don't move! Just act like rock!" Ahuli advised.

'How am I supposed to stay clam when I have a freakin' poisonous snake on my arm!' Mai let out a soft whimper. She held her breath when the snake came close to her face; she watched its tongue, it was as though it was testing the air. It moved again, its scaly skin rubbing against her arm, the girl cringed. After five antagonising minutes, the snake slid off her arm. She waited till it had moved a safe distance away from her before she breathed again and fell to the floor. "Kowaii yo…(that was so scary)" She sounded like she wanted to cry.

Kai abandoned his battle with the snakes and rushed over to Mai but Ahuli had beaten him to it. Why is it that every time he wanted to help, he never got the chance to? And then Mai accuses him of being too overprotective, it wasn't his fault that he missed the chance to show her that he really, truly wanted to help her.

"You okay?" Ahuli lifted her to her feet.

"Mm." Mai nodded and wiped away a tear, she wasn't going to cry. She dusted herself and reached for the jewel. She held it in her palm; she was holding the long-searched jewel but she wasn't happy. 'No one should have gone through such an experience for a stupid rock…Stupid Eden!' She clenched her fist tightly.

"Let's go!"

"Dranzer! Flame Sabre!" Kai commanded, and his beyblade cleared a path for them to escape as its flames held back the snakes.

The four of them dashed out of the cave and through the tunnel. Who knew snakes could move so fast? Mai ran like hell, it was the first time she ran so fast since the time when Mike and his men were chasing after her. The four of them reached the lake and Ahuli quickly wound the reins around Mai's arm while Mohali and Kai held the snakes back. He then proceeded to tie Mohali and Kai's hands together.

"Go! Go!"

All of them splashed in the water, trying to get as far out as possible so that they could dive. Mai looked back, the snakes were staying ashore, but that didn't mean some of them couldn't swim.

'Oh my god! They're even faster the water!' Mai panicked."Dive now! Dive now!"

"One, two, three!"

All four of them went under…

-Outside at the waterfall-

Rei and Chewet were sitting on the rocks when suddenly a head popped out of the water.

"Mohali!"

Then another and another and finally Mai surfaced. The girl was coughing; she had swallowed some water along the way. Ahuli pulled her to shore.

"-cough- -cough- … -cough- -cough- -cough-" Rei patted her back.

Kai and Chewett stood next to her, "Dooshite?" he asked Rei, concern written all over his face.

Mai shook her head and touched her throat, she had stopped coughing. "Heki desu…(I'm fine)" She sat down the ground.

"Did you get the jewel?"

"Yeah." Mai rummaged through her pocket and took out the jewel; she showed it to Rei who smiled. He took out the other one and returned it to her.

The girl rested her head against the tree trunk, 'Yatta…Now I have two. Yatta ne.' She sighed and closed her eyes.

"You look pale. Feeling cold?" The Chinese boy sat down next to her.

"No…We got attacked by snakes."

"Really?" He perked up.

"Yeah. Mai almost died." Kai said as he ruffled his hair, trying to get it dry.

Mai opened her eyes when she heard this, "I'll die before I resurrect Eden if this keeps up…"

"-cough- -cough-"

"You okay?" Mai asked.

"I'm fine. –cough-" Kai replied as he tried to hold back another round of coughing.

"Kai."

The Russian turned.

"Thanks for your help back there." She gave him a feeble smile before looking somewhere else.

He returned his gaze to the cascading waterfall, "You're welcome…"

-Next day-

"YOU THREE! DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED WE'VE BEEN? FOR THREE DAYS! THREE DAYS YOU WERE MISSING AND YOU DIDN'T BOTHER TO CALL WHEN YOU HAD YOUR PHONES!"

Mai, Kai and Rei sat hunched on the sofa. This was it. They were getting it now…

"AND YOU SHOULD'VE NEVER RUN OFF LIKE THAT! DID YOU EVER THINK OF THE CONSEQUENCES? WHAT'S MORE YOU'RE A GIRL, LOST IN THE WILDERNESS WITH STRANGE MEN AROUND!"

Mai dropped her head even lower…

"AND YOU TWO! THE BOTH OF YOU COULD HAVE AT LEAST CALLED US! THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK HAD TO HELP US LOCATE YOU VIA SATTELITE!" Judy's face was redder than a tomato.

"Ugh! What am I going to do with you three?"She placed a palm on her forehead.

"Mom, really, it's all right." Max tried to console her, which didn't seem to be working.

"C'mon, say you're sorry before she blows up again." Tyson whispered and nudged Mai from behind.

She looked at Rei, then at Kai and nodded. "One, two, three."

"We're really very sorry! Please forgive us!" All three of them knelt on the floor and bowed their heads.

Judy looked at them; they would've gotten it worse if they were her kids. "Oh all right."

The three of them lifted their heads.

"BUT! This doesn't mean I'm letting you off without any punishment."

They hung their heads once more…

-Fast forward-

"Mou…why do I have to wash the toilet alone?" Mai tied a bandana around her forehead to keep her hair out of the way.

"Because _we_ can't go in _there_." Rei pointed to the girl's toilet.

"Yeah? Well you get Kai. I don't get anyone." She argued.

"Everything was your fault in the first place…-cough- -cough-" Kai commented and cleared his throat.

"Have fun cleaning Mai!" Rei laughed and went into the men's toilet.

Mai threw a sponge at the door…

"Argh, why do I have to clean the toilet all by myself?" Mai was trying to unplug the sink.

Levian: _The punishment fits the deed_

'Urusai na.(Shut up)' "Ugh, yuck!" She swatted a soggy tissue paper off her fingers.

Levian: _Don't complain. You always complain about everything._

'It makes me feel better. I don't care if nobody listens.'

Levian: _Whatever floats your boat then. By the way, you missed a spot near the tap._

Mai vigorously rubbed at the stubborn stain.

Levian: _I'm guessing you're going to start looking for the third jewel?_

'Of course! I have to free Eden before Riya does. Besides, he can't resurrect Eden if I have two of the jewels.'

-Flashback-

"I know they've gone overboard and deserved to be punished but we're just teenagers! How do you expect us to get revenge?"

"With Eden." Riya replied.

-End of flashback-

'He can't resurrect Eden…I won't let him.'

Levian: _I know you're determined to free Eden. But the third hunt…Are you going to put their lives in danger again?_

Mai stopped scrubbing. She knew who 'their lives' were. 'They agreed to take the risk…But what if they really get hurt the next time? What if something really unfortunate happens to them? What if…what if I lose one of them because of me?' She didn't want anything of that sort to happen. They had done so much for her, yet she was pulling them deeper and deeper into her hazardous lifestyle. A life once lost, can never be replaced…

She couldn't play with their lives anymore; she had to do something…

-An hour later-

Mai pushed open the door, the pail banged against her legs as she carried the heavy thing out of the toilet.

"Why are you so wet?" Rei got up from his sitting position when he saw Mai; the girl's shirt was soaked.

"I got splashed by the hose…"

Rei laughed, Mai glared at him with a it's-not-funny-look. Cleaning a big public toilet without any help was hard work! Furthermore, she was wet, sticky and messy; she was NOT in the mood to joke with anyone right now.

"Okay, okay. Sorry. I'll carry that." He took the pail off her hands.

"Thanks." Mai pulled at her shirt, the wet fabric flopped back against her skin. 'I'm definitely gonna take a shower when we get back to the dorm…'

The three of them passed the window. Mai looked out, it was pouring. Just then, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky. For some reason, an image of Eden sending lightning bolts crashing down onto earth appeared in her mind.

"Something wrong?" Rei looked from Mai to the window and back to Mai again.

She shook her head, "Just thinking about something…" She carried on walking.

"-cough-" Kai beat his chest. 'Stop coughing dammit!' He held back another cough but it came out like a muffled hiccup.

"Are you all right? You've been coughing since the time we were at the waterfall." Mai looked at him with furrowed brows.

"I'm fine. –cough-" He replied in a slightly raspy voice.

blu: Oh no! Kai has tuberculosis!

-Hospital-

Mai sat by his bed side, 'How could this happen? WHY? You can't die! Not when I still haven't told you that I– blu: Nah, just playing with ya :P Back to the story!

"You sure? Let me carry the pail." She reached for the handle but Kai pulled away.

"I said I'm fine." He answered in a back-off tone.

'What's up with him?' Mai watched him walk ahead. The coughing worried her; he was definitely not well……

"Good. You can help the cafeteria ladies with the dishes later." Judy sat back in her chair. Mai's jaw went slack, 'She can't be serious? A whole day of punishment? Gimme a break!' "But we're bushed, can't we—"

But Rei nudged her in the ribs and shook his head ever so slightly. Mai got the message, she kept quiet.

"This will be your final task, I promise. And the cafeteria ladies really do need help." Judy gave them a c'mon-you-understand-right? look.

-Fast forward-

Mai blew a strand of hair out of her face as her dish-panned hands dove under water once again to fish out a dirty plate.

"Thanks so much for your help, darling. I'm so sorry but here's some more." The hair-netted woman smiled apologetically.

"I-It's okay." Mai smiled weakly. 'I'm never gonna finish…'

"-cough- -cough-"

"Maybe you should rest. Your cough's getting worse." She looked at Kai who stood opposite the sink.

"Yeah." Rei agreed. "Don't force yourself."

But the stubborn boy carried on despite the huge amount of concern he was getting from his friends. Although, he would stop a few times to take a breather.

"What time is it?"

Mai looked at the clock, "A quarter to three. Are we almost done?"

Mai looked over at Rei's side, "Just a few more left. Go! Go!"

The two of them laughed at scrubbed the plates with new-found enthusiasm.

"3! …2!...Last one!" Mai hurriedly rinsed the plate under the tap and placed it noisily on the rack. "Done!"

"You didn't even wash the last one properly…" Rei took the plate off the rack and rinsed it under the tap. He placed it back onto the rack.

'My fingers look like shriveled up prunes…' She dismayed over the sad state of her hands.

Mai followed the boys out of the cafeteria. "Finally I can take a shower." She dashed ahead, "Hurry up!"

Rei followed after her.

'No…don't run,' Kai quickened his pace, 'I…' His head was heavy and his body didn't feel like it could move any longer.

"C'mon Kai!" Rei called.

"Rei…I…"

The neko-jin was alarmed that his friend was swaying a little, "Hey, what's the matter?" He rushed to his side but before he could get there—

-Thud-

"KAI!"

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys are the bestest bestest bestest readers! XD


	16. Her Hug and Her Hope

Chapter 53------Her Hug and Her Hope

"C'mon Kai, you can't sleep forever…" Tyson threw popcorn at the slumbering captain.

"Quit it," Mai spat, "or I'll smash the whole box in your face." She picked up the strewn pieces of popcorn on Kai's bed and threw them into the bin. "Go away if you're gonna be a bother around here."

"Why so cranky?" Tyson leaned back in his chair, "you're the one that got him sick in the first place."

"Shut up!"

Max tugged on Tyson's shirt, "Let's go train."

"But I wanna—"

"Let's _GO_." The boy pulled harder, stressing on the last word. He knew that if Tyson stuck around any longer, things would get worse. Tyson reluctantly got up and Max led him out of the room.

Mai sighed, at least _one_ of the idiotic things in her life was gone for now. She caught Rei looking at her, "What?"

"You didn't have to shout at him," the boy replied.

"Oh c'mon Rei, not you too," the girl rolled her eyes so far back you could hear them turning in their sockets. 'I don't need this. I. Do. Not. Need. This.'

"It's not your fault, you know." Rei looked elsewhere, trying to sound casual.

Mai let out a puff or air and turned away, "Usoutsuki (liar)" She looked at Kai, feeling sorry for him, feeling angry at herself for the way things turned out. "How can it not be my fault?" she spoke softly, "I dragged you two into the whole Norwing fiasco…and now he won't even wake up." Her deep-set eyes shown with sadness, what had she done? Was this what Levian had been warning her about? That one day she may put her friends in so deep a danger that none of them could ever get out? Had that time come?

'Why now? Why Kai?'

"Don't worry about it." A hand patted her head which disrupted her previous train of thought.

"Demo…" She met his gaze with crest-fallen eyes.

"You didn't ask for this to happen. No one did. Don't blame yourself for something you didn't do."

"Anata nani mo shiranai! Watashi wa…Moshi Eden wa—! (You don't understand! I…If Eden)" Mai argued. Why couldn't he understand? Why couldn't anyone understand? 'It's my fault! It's me and my stupid destiny's fault!'

Rei clasped her shoulders and looked at her straight in the eyes, "Listen to me. It's NOT your fault. You didn't ask for this life. It's just the way it is."

The girl shook her head, Rei would never understand the dilemma she was in, torn between protecting herself and her friends as well as fulfilling her destiny. She fled out of the room, she needed some time to think, to rearrange her life and perhaps, even grant her friends safety for awhile…

'Mai…'

"How long do you plan on standing there?"

"You're awake!" Rei rushed to Kai's bedside, "But when did you?"

Kai pulled out his arms from under the covers, "since a long time ago…"

Rei eyed his friend suspiciously, "That means you heard?"

His lack of response told Rei that he did. "She was really worried about you." He sat hunched, fingers crossed on his lap.

"Sou ka…" Kai sounded uninterested.

"Just thought you'd like to know…" Rei mumbled.

'What does he want me to do? Jump for joy because she was worried about me? Pffht…' Kai thought.

"Is she…" he looked at Kai, "Is she afraid that she might endanger us?"

Kai remembered what Mai had said before…

-flashback-

"Once I find Riya and the others, I'll return to them. That way you won't have to destroy yourself over caring about me."

-End of flashback-

"She's returning to Riya and the others."

"What?" Rei straightened up.

" "No more worrying, no more fighting or running away, no more risking you lives for me,"… That's what she said."

The neko-jin sat in silence, distressed at what he had heard. 'Why? It isn't your entire fault.' Knowing that Mai would leave them one day, he couldn't accept it. Her reason wasn't worth leaving! It was an invalid excuse! She was going back to what she used to do: running away.

"Do the rest know about this?"

"Only Max," Kai stared up at the ceiling, not liking this conversation one bit. Everything seemed to revolve around Mai nowadays…

"Then aren't you going to stop her?" Rei persisted.

The Russian frowned, why was it always his responsibility when it came to Mai? "Like you said, Mai's life is hers to live," He placed his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

"That's it?" The neko-jin's voice rose, "You're going to let her walk out on us just like that? Don't you—"

"Why are you –cough- cough- blaming ME?" Kai's voice went raspy. "What do you want me to do? Be her Knight in shining armour? She doesn't belong to us, Rei!" He broke into a round of coughing.

Rei's eyes softened, he didn't want to make Kai's condition worse. He knew the boy was trying, he had been trying all this time to look out for Mai but in all honesty, they really had no say in what Mai wanted to do. They weren't her guardians, nor were they her family. Come to think of it, if Mai was planning to leave them all along, then what had they been to her all this while?

"Sorry, I shouldn't have—"

But Kai interrupted him, "Save it."

Rei looked down at his feet, not knowing what to do, feeling a little ashamed to be in Kai's presence after that short argument.

"Go after her," the boy said in a tone that released a little bit of the tension, "who knows what that girl could have gotten herself into by now…"

Rei didn't laugh like how he usually responded to Kai's comments. Instead, he kept a straight face and walked out of the room leaving Kai with a message before he left:

"Stop acting like it's all a big joke... because it isn't."

'Rei…'

"Matte!" He scrambled out of bed.

-Wherever Mai is…-

Mai stretched her legs, 'They'd never find me here.' She looked out into the open, letting the gentle breeze comfort her while she rested under the shadow of the building. A few metres front, the sweltering sun marked patches of its territory all over the balcony.

She shifted her position so that she was now sitting cross-legged; her gaze fell on her wrist band. She tugged on it a little so that a bit of her birthmark peeked through the sides, and then she slid the whole thing off. The birthmark stared back at her, the birthmark that had determined her future from the very moment she was born, the mark of her cursed life.

'Levian, tell me what should I do.'

Levian: _That's up to you to decide._

'But I don't know _what_ to do. I feel like, like I'm shouldering this all on my own. They can't help me and now you, no one can help me…'

Levian: _But they're there for you. No matter how many times you runaway, you can always return to them and they'll welcome you with open arms._

'But that's not the problem! The problem is I don't want them to get hurt! Why should they bear the burden of my troubles when it's _my_ fault? _I_ should've been the one to fall sick, not Kai. Why does everything happen to them and not me?' She bit her lip in anguish. 'I've already lost my family…am I not even allowed to have friends?'

Levian: _Mai…You—_

"Mitsuketa. (I found you)

She lifted her head, "Rei."

The neko-jin's warm eyes turned sombre when he saw the girl's face, "Nakanai de. (Don't cry)"

'Huh?' She touched her cheek, sure enough, it was slightly wet. She hurriedly wiped them with the back of her hand, "I wasn't crying," she replied defensively and got up.

"Guess who's here."

Mai watched him emerge from behind Rei, living, breathing and wide awake. Her eyes lit up, she couldn't describe the feeling, it was a mixture of joy and guilt, something bitter-sweet, like watching your best friend get married off to the person you love. A voice in the back of her mind was telling her, 'Run! Go to him!'

Impulsively, Mai ran up to Kai and threw her arms around him, "Yokatta! Anata buji de yokatta! (Thank goodness you're all right)" She buried her head in his chest; not caring if her tears dampened his shirt, not caring what people would think. He was all right and that was all that mattered, she hadn't lost him after all. "Gomenasai. Honto ni gomenasai." Her fingers gripped the back of his shirt, never wanting to let go, never wanting to almost-lose Kai again.

Kai didn't know how to react. When she hugged him, it was as if all the air had been knocked out of his lungs. He could feel the fabric against his skin getting wet, she was crying. He raised his hand but hesitated, this wasn't like him, he had never done this before and it felt awkward to do what he thought was appropriate in a situation like this.

And so he wasn't going to do it…

Instead, he carefully freed himself from her embrace, not wanting to make it seem like he wasn't happy about it. (blu: that's because you WERE happy about it. Kai: Says who? blu: I control the story. Kai: I demand my rights! blu: you don't _have_ rights. Kai: I demand my right to have rights! blu: gah!) "Don't apologise."

"But I—"

Kai raised a finger to her lips, "Don't. If you want to apologise then stop crying," he avoided her gaze. He never liked girls who cried a lot.

Mai sniffed and nodded her head. She dropped her gaze; puffy red eyes weren't a nice sight…

Kai studied her from under his fringe, a cheerless Mai made him feel empty. He wanted to see her smile. No, he wanted to _make_ her smile. "Mataku, I got out of bed to look for you and this is the welcoming I get? Smile a bit, will ya?"

A small laugh escaped her lips. The high fever did nothing for his attitude.

Rei placed a hand on her shoulder, "Let's go back."

She hummed a reply and the three of them walked the path back to their room.

"-cough- -cough-"

Kai felt a hand slid onto his back. "Take it easy," she advised, and the two carried on walking, not once removing her hand from its position…

-A few days later, the Bladebreakers find themselves back in Japan…-

_If I lay here  
__If I just lay here  
__Would you lie with me and just forget the world  
__Forget what we're told_

"Mai."

…_Get too old  
__Show me a garden that's—_

"MAI!"

"WHAT?" Tyson had removed the headphones and shouted in her ear.

"Wake up, we've landed."

"Oh…" 'Okay, that was rather stupid…' Mai removed the headphones and quickly stuffed them into the seat pocket. She undid her seatbelt and stood up; almost everyone had already left the plane. "Sorry."

"Never mind, hurry up." But from the tone of his voice, Mai knew he minded.

The group, together with Kenny emerged into the immigration area. Through the glass panels, Mai could see the swarms of fans awaiting their arrival. Correction, a particular _captain's_ arrival…

Max sighed, "Prepare to put on your shades guys."

"Why?"

The boy pointed to the reporters and the paparazzi outside, "Cameras…"

The rest nodded their heads understandingly and threw on their sunglasses.

"Here we go again…"

"Good luck, Kai."

"3, 2, 1."

They walked into the arrival hall and were immediately bombarded by reporters firing questions at them and shoving microphones in their faces.

"How did you feel about winning the American tournament?"

Tyson: "It was great. Definitely—"

"KAI-SAMMAAA!"

"Was it tough losing to Michael of the All Starz? Where does his put you now, Mr Hiwatari?"

Kai: … -pushes his way through crowd, trying to save his ears from the high-pitched screams-

"Why didn't you battle, Ms Takuya?"

"Is she really an asset to the team or just a trophy girl?"

Mai: "TROPHY GIRL? I'M NOT A—!"

"Just keep moving. Just keep moving." Max pushed her, dragging poor Kenny along behind him.

"BOYS!"

'Mr Dickenson! We're saved!' They all thought.

The men in suits rushed them into the black car waiting outside, shut the door, tapped twice on the boot and the car was off…

"Sorry for arriving a little late, got caught up in traffic." The plump man wiped his brow with a handkerchief. "So, another tournament settled."

"Yup. Europe, here we come!" Max and Kenny cheered along with Tyson.

Mr Dickenson pulled out his organiser, "Yes well, that's still along way more to go. Oh by the way, I've agreed to let you boys go on a TV show."

"TV SHOW?"

-Outside, car swerves-

It was as if all reality had shattered before them…

"Which one?" Max questioned, still boggle-eyed like the rest of them.

"Nippon CHECKU!"

"NIPPON CHECKU?"

-car swerves again-

"Sonotoori! (That's right)" Mr D raised a finger.

-funny jingle plays in the background signalling end of chapter-

blu: Sorry I took too long to update this, had a major writer's block. Anyway, the angst is over (for now) and time for some RnR! WOOO! I can't wait to do the TV show chapter. WAHAHAHA!

Mai: I'm soo gonna get back at you, Tyson.

Tyson: In your dreams, cry baby.

Mai: What about you huh? Tubby!

Tyson: Freak!

Mai: Dimwit!

-Starts fighting and rolls away in a ball of dust...-

blu: okaayy...PLEASE REVIEW!


	17. Nippon CHECKU!

Heys! blu here! Sorry for the long updates but i've been reading my old chapters recently and again, i've changed my writing style! Honestly, i think Blue Eyes Season one has better content but I MUST STOP CHANGING MY WRITING STYLE! -tears hair out- Anyway, just to let you know, after this chapter, the story will be as juicy as Blue Eyes season one because I've finally put all my scenes in place! I have a master plot now! WAHAHAHA! So please review or i'll feel disheartened...

Chapter 54------Nippon CHECKU!

-Jingle plays which opens Nippon CHECKU!-

"Hai, minna konbanwa! Teguchi desu."

"Moriyama desu."

Teguchi (T):"Na kyo wa ne, supeshiaru gesuto wa beyblade ichiban no teamu." (Tonight's special guest is Beyblading's number one team)

Moriyama (M): "Ah, sou ka?"

-Backstage-

Mai peeked nervously at the audience, "I don't know. What if I say something wrong? I can't even speak Japanese properly! What if I mess up! ON LIVE TV!" She grabbed Max and shook him by the shoulders.

"Daijoubu. Daijoubu." Max waved a hand, dismissing her doubt. He tucked in his green shirt at the front and let the back end hang out, "It's just a TV show. It's not the end of the world."

Oh yeah, that sure made Mai's world a better place….

T: Bladebreakers wa dozo!

And the audience went wild as the group strolled onto the stage, seating themselves on the long sofa.

T: "Whoa, you guys sure know how to work the crowd!"

'Huh?'

For a second there, Mai swore she heard him speak in English but everything sounded in Japanese.

"Max, he just—!"

"Shh, not now," the boy whispered discreetly in her ear and continued smiling at the camera. Boy was Max taking this too far. Sure this was live TV but don't go overacting now…

T: "Why don't you first introduce yourselves to the ba-chans and ji-chans out there who have-absolutely-no-idea who you people are?"

"Minna konbanwa. Tyson desu." He flashed a smile which, Mai had to admit, was quite charming.

"Rei desu."

"Kai desu."

-fans scream for a full forty minutes, waving their banners, signs, phone numbers…-

"Max desu."

"Mai desu."

M: I'm wondering, why— Yes Takuya-san?

Mai: "Um, why are you," She stopped, was she hearing correctly? Everything was coming out in Japanese. "Why am I speaking in English but everything's heard in Japanese?"

M: "Ahh! That's the wonder of our show!" He leaned in closer, "But just between you and me, the mic translates everything into Japanese so the viewers can understand."

"The mic? Cool!" She gazed in amazement at the wonders of technology.

The audience laughed, they could hear everything, even the little between-you-and-me session with Mai and Moriyama-san.

T: So the burning question that everyone wants to know! Why do the Bladebreakers suddenly have a girl on their team? –makes a shocked expression-

Tyson: I guess we needed new blood. She was good! So we took her in.

'Really?' Mai felt a ball of happiness burst within her.

"And she makes good desserts," Tyson added. The rest nodded in agreement.

M: "-turns to audience- Hear that girls? They like the homemaker-type. Housewives you have a chance!"

T: "Cute _and_ can cook. Sasuga ne, Takuya-san! You boys must be very lucky eh? –nudges Tyson playfully in the ribs-"

The boy smiled weakly, hoping that someone watching at home wouldn't get the wrong message.

-fangirls in the audience whip out knives and daggers-

"Actually, K—"But Max bit his tongue when Kai stomped on his foot. 'ITTE!'

"Sorry, it's my reflexes," Kai explained, earning a look from Max that screamed REFLEXES-MY-ASS!

T: All right, enough talk, next is our little calligraphy segment! If you would each take a pen and a piece of paper. Okay, first question, what's the worst habit you can't stand about your team mate? No need to specify who, you can leave it up to the audience to guess.

All of them paused to think, then wrote something on the paper.

T: "Okay, lift up your papers."

Tyson: Never has anything nice to say

Rei: Likes to suck his thumb

Kai: Everything

Max: Worries too much

Mai: Pretends to be mute

Moriyama burst out laughing, "'Zenbu'? (Everything) Naze 'Zenbu'?"

Kai: "There were too many. I've summarised it to fit the paper."

"C'mon buddy, that's not true, right?" Max patted him on the back, hoping to resurrect a better image for himself.

"It's true," Kai replied bluntly.

A vein twitched in the rest of his team members. 'What does he take me for?' they all thought.

T: "Rei-kun, yours is pretty interesting."

The Chinese boy chuckled, "Well, this person. Hahaha, how should I put it? He likes to suck his thumb when he's sleeping. Once we tried pulling it out, -Tyson snickers- but then…then hahahah! He put BOTH thumbs back in his mouth!"

Everyone but Kai burst out laughing. Teguchi-san wiped a tear from his eye, "You mean like this? –puts both thumbs to his mouth-"

"Sou," Rei answered.

M: "Hahaha. Okay, next question! What do you think is the cutest thing a girl does? In Mai's case, the cutest thing a boy does?"

The audience suddenly perked up.

In a polite manner, Tyson questioned, "Are you allowed to ask these kinds of questions? It's kind of personal."

The crowd laughed.

M: "Of course! We have a job to keep you know? Saa. –he motioned for them to start writing-"

'What does Hilary do?' Tyson thought. 'Ah! I know!'

Rei: Pout

Tyson: wink

Max: Tries to keep her skirt down when the wind blows

Kai: Flunks at sport

Mai: Waits for you in the rain

T: "C-Chotto, Takuya-san, we asked for cute, not sexy."

The audience chuckled.

Mai: "But I think it's cute that a guy waits for you in the rain. They look nice with their hair wet."

-Moriyama rushes backstage and comes back a while later with his hair wet- "Takuya-san, kochi yo! Do you like me now?"

The girl laughed, "Yeah, all right."

"Honki da yo? (Really)" He beamed.

"Iie, usou da. (No, I was lying)"

"Kurushii…(It hurts)" Moriyama held a hand to his chest and fiend heartbreak.

T: "Forget it, Moriyama. You're _way_ out of her league. Anyway," he said in a sing-song voice, "since all of you are so good at beyblading and GOSH! We are running out of time! We've prepared a little game for you!"

Tyson: "Game?"

"Sou!" Teguchi winked at the camera. "You're all gonna draw using your blades!"

"EEEEEHHHHH?"

T: "If you would please look at the screen behind you."

A cartoon blu pops up, explaining the instructions of the game: This game is called "Chain Cherades!" Each person is given one minute to draw the given picture. When the time is up, the next person has to figure out what that picture is and carry on. The last person has to guess what the image is. In this game, your drawing skills are as good as your beyblading skills! Ganbatte ne!" –blu disappears and is replaced by the ongoing images of the Bladebreakers captured on camera-

M: "So who's gonna be the last person?"

Max stepped out while the other four took their positions in four cubicles separated by curtains. Mai was up first. "Okay! Starto!" Moriyama held up a picture.

'Eh?' "Ike, Levian!" Mai launched her blade which had its tip dipped in ink. The white blade began drawing, moving about as directed by Mai. Levian hopped about, drawing in the eyes and did a smooth curve for the face.

"Time's up!" The curtain which separated Mai and Rei flew open, giving Rei a minute to decipher what the image was. The boy nodded and set to work while the curtains closed once again. "Drigger! Left!" The audience waited anxiously as it moved onto to Tyson's turn.

"What the? Kore muzukashi yo! (This is so difficult)" But he launched his blade anyway. Lastly, Kai was up. He stared at Tyson's drawing with raised eyebrows then proceeded to draw. "Let's go Dranzer!" The blue blade zigzagged across the paper, adding details where necessary with its sharp turns and light spins.

"Okay, time's up! Max!"

The audience gasped as Kai's drawing was displayed. Who would have thought that Kai would be so…Max stared at the mass of squiggles, "I don't know. Cotton wool?"

"Is that your final answer?"

"Uh, can I poll the audience?"

Teguchi fainted anime-style but quickly got back on his feet. "So what is it?"

"Cotton wool?"

T: "Nope, the answer is a sheep!"

"EEEEEEHHHHHHHH?" Kai's drawing looked nothing like a sheep!

Moriyama: "Let's see what went wrong shall we?" All the drawings popped up in front of the audience. "Mai's is all right. Haha! Why do you have a rip in your drawing, Rei-kun?"

"Guess I drew too hard." The boy scratched his head.

Teguchi: "I see the problem! Tyson, that looks nothing like a sheep!"

M: "Whoa, sugoi ne! Kai's is an exact copy of Tyson's horrible drawing!

The audience "Oooo"ed and "Ahhhh"ed.

T: "Okay! This time it's Kai who's starting and Tyson who's guessing. And thank goodness for that because someone sure can't draw for nuts!"

Tyson: "Hey!"

M: "Here's the picture. Starto!"

Kai began right away. Dranzer was skidding all over the paper; you'd think he was ripping it apart. One minute was up and the curtains opened. 'Whoa!' Mai stared at the drawing, 'That's amazing!' The line work was stupendous! You could even see the hair on Santa's beard!

"Takuya-san haiyaku!" Moriyama reminded her of the little time she had left.

"Hai!" Once again, she launched Levian and began drawing as best as she could; she didn't want hers to look inferior next to Kai's. "C'mon Rei!" The boy continued the chain, drawing the hat and the sack in one swift turn. It was Max's turn, "Turn! Yeah that's it!"

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1!" The audience chanted the remaining few seconds. "0!" The buzzer went off while the curtains swung open to reveal Max's drawing.

M: "Your answer, please!"

Tyson didn't even have to think. "Santa Claus!"

M: "SEKAI!"

The audience cheered, the brainless one had did it! ( blu: okay, maybe that's a bit too harsh. Tyson is as every bit as good as the rest. We all love you, Tyson. Tyson: Really? blu: Yeah, get over it. Tyson: -.-")

Teguchi: "For guessing correctly, Tyson gets to enjoy KURIYA'S signature dessert! Tofu cheesecake!"

Everyone watched as a girl pushed a cart onto stage and set the dessert down in front of Tyson. Not only did the dish look delicious with its smooth surface topped of with blueberries, its presentation was intriguing. It was enclosed in a small bird cage with a paper crane at the side.

"Why is he the only one who gets to eat it? We drew the pictures," Mai pointed out.

"You get a treat if you answer correctly!" Moriyama replied in a perky voice.

Mai watched with envy as Tyson enjoyed every spoonful of the cheesecake; she swallowed her saliva. "Uuuummmaai!" He was rubbing it in; he knew the rest of them wanted a taste but too bad for them, they could only enjoy it visually…

'Cheh, I'll never make dessert for you again,' Mai thought as she watched her team mate indulge in the tasty treat.

"Let's introduce our next game shall we?" Teguchi directed a hand to the screen once more.

The cartoon blu appeared on screen. "This next game is a Batsu game! (blu: Batsu game means that there is a punishment for the loser and the punishments usually aren't very nice :P) Each participant will be blindfolded and made to drink a brand of apple juice. Once that's done, the blindfold comes off and the person has to guess which brand of apple juice he or she has drunk from the wide variety of brands! –camera focuses on ten different brands of apple juice arranged on the counter- A _terrible_ punishment awaits the loser so good luck!"

"Saa, who's going first?" Moriyama waved the blindfold in the air.

Max pushed Rei, "You go first."

"Me? Why me?"

"Go, Rei!" Mai urged.

"And Rei's going first!" Teguchi announced. "The others can decide which brand you want him to drink while I spin him around."

The group huddled over the counter. "This one?" "Nah, Sunrasia." "Give him the really sour one!" "This one!" Everyone agreed on Tropicana.

"Drink up, buddy." Max tilted the cup to Rei's mouth. The neko-jin took a few sips, then a few more and finally drained the whole cup. "Ready?"

"Yeah," Rei took off his blindfold and walked to the counter, examining the row of apple juice cartons. He took a sip of every brand (blu: they've prepared cups for you to sample), trying to recall the taste of the one he had drank. He held up the Qoo bottle, "This one?"

"WRONG!"

The boy ran through the whole row again. "Okay, this one!"

"SEKAI!"

-Fast forward, Mai guessed it on her fourth try, Max on his second and Tyson on his first, no surprise there…-

Finally, it came to Kai's turn. His turn was the only one that everyone had been looking forward too, including his team mates.

"Let's give him a hard one." Max whispered. "No, let's mix it!" Mai suggested. All of them bent low, making sure that their concoction was concealed from the prying eyes of the camera. "Okay, we're done!"

Rei handed him the cup. Kai took a whiff and wrinkled his nose, it smelt of apple cider, but drank it anyway. The boy threw off his blindfold and went down the counter, sampling every brand, pausing after each taste. He held up the Fruit Tree Fresh carton.

"WRONG!"

He lifted the Marigold carton.

"WRONG!" The audience decided to play along and shout "WRONG" together with the rest of the Bladebreakers.

"This one?"

"WRONG!"

Kai clucked his tongue in irritancy as he scanned the brands again, trying to remember the taste. 'I'm sure it was that one. Unless…' He took away Qoo, Heinz and Caprico. "These?"

"WRONG!"

"Not the ones I'm holding, the ones that are on the counter," he replied coolly. He knew that if he wasn't correct this time, something was definitely wrong.

Tyson's jaw went slack. 'He guessed it? No way!'

"SEKAI!" Max patted Kai on the back.

Mai quickly did a count of the number of times Kai had got it wrong, and then it dawned on her.

"I lost?"

She had been crossing her fingers so hard yet Kai still managed to guess it. 'He's incredible. He can't do anything wrong. ARGH! WHY CAN'T YOU DO SOMETHING WRONG FOR ONCE?' She glared at him but he took no notice of it.

Moriyama: "Takuya-san, are you ready for your punishment?"

She nodded, 'How bad can the punishment be?'

The answer?

VERY BAD!

At first it was okay, the wasabi sweet was still bearable, but then it started to sting and Mai felt a sharp pain at the back of her head. She clamped a hand over her nose to ease the sensation but it wasn't working! IT WASN'T BLOODY WORKING DAMMIT!

"Must be really hot," Tyson commented as he watched the girl bend over, making muffled noises as tears welled up in her eyes. She was pinching her nose, hitting her head, pinching her nose, her vain attempts at trying to get rid of the immense pain. Mai wanted it to stop! "Water, get me some water!"

Teguchi-san handed her a glass of water which she finished in two gulps. She forced herself to swallow the sweet; it was the only way to stop the awful sensation from going up her nose. She grimaced, the aftertaste sucked and her tongue was still numb from the spiciness.

"Well, that's all for tonight folks! We'll be selling the Bladebreakers' drawings on E-bay. Prices start at 15 000 yen per piece. No tax included." Moriyama grinned at the camera as the credits came on. In the background, Mai was still recovering from her taste-from-hell while the rest waved at the audience.

"Tune in next week for more Nippon CHECKU!"

-Back home-

"Ahh, tsukaretta!" Max stretched himself on the bed. He turned to look at Mai, "Drink some hot water, it'll overcome the spiciness."

"Eashee for you ku kok (Easy for you to talk)" Mai had her tongue dipped in ice cold water. She'd rather it numb then bear the spiciness. 'Stupid sweet!' However, a shadow overhead made her look up.

"Give me your hand."

"Why?" She placed them behind her, a little suspicious of Kai's intentions.

Having little patience, he grabbed her hand and dropped them into her palm. Mai looked at the two ruby-red pieces and then narrowed her eyes, "It isn't a chilli sweet, is it?"

"Just eat it. It'll help," he returned to his bed, waiting to see if she'd listen to him.

Mai peeled off the plastic and popped the candy in her mouth. "Hmm, strawberry," she gave a satisfied nod. "Thanks."

"Lights out. G'night people!"

She lay on her bed in the dark, holding up the other piece at arms length as the boys prepared to sleep. She scrutinised its crystalline surface, her tongue running over the one in her mouth; leaving a light sweetness lingering on her taste buds.

"Strawberry ka?"

As its crimson surface gazed down on her, she was unaware that someone's eyes were doing the same…

Please please review!


	18. The Bother

Chpater 55------The Bother

-Dream-

"The cutest thing……" I whispered as I clung onto Copellia. "I saw the cutest thing." I barely managed a smile before…

"Mai! Don't you dare! Don't you dare die on me!"

I blacked out…

"MMMAAAAAIIII!"

-End of dream-

Mai's eyes shot open and came into focus with the wall. 'What a weird dream…' But then she knitted her brows, 'No! It can't happen! My dream, it can't happen…Can it?' She was apprehensive, some of the dreams she had experienced were premonitions, very few of them were nonsensical.

Mai dug her fingers into her hair, this couldn't be ignored. Sure dreams of losing all her teeth and meeting unfamiliar people could be taken lightly and could even be considered crazy, but death? Who in the world dreams of dying?

"I'm going to die?" She questioned herself softly. She turned and scanned the sleeping bodies in the room. 'No, maybe not yet. Maybe…' Mai got out of bed, pulling the covers over her pillow before going down stairs for breakfast…

"Dear Bladebreakers, you are cordially invited to attend the Coming-of-Age ceremony of Sir Robert Jurgen on the 20th of December," Tyson read as he walked around the table. "The Jurgen family would be honoured to have you grace this wonderful occasion and look forward to your reply. Yours sincerely, Fredrich Jurgen." He set the letter down on the table.

"Coming-of-Age huh? It's gonna be some party," Max commented and took a sip of his orange juice.

"Nah, knowing Robert, he'd probably throw a formal tea party." Rei chipped in.

All this time Mai stayed quiet, she didn't know who this Robert Jurgen guy was and furthermore, she had a lot of things on her mind right now. Like how to prevent the dream from coming true. She needed a form of escape; all this worrying wasn't good for her.

Mai stood up abruptly, "I'm going to the Beystadium."

"Why?"

"Don't know…I just feel like training." She headed for the door but stopped, "Oh yeah, can I borrow your bike to ride there?"

"Who's bike?" All of them asked.

"Umm, Maxie's?"

"I'll come with you." Max wiped his mouth and got up, "Help me wash this time okay, Tyson? Thanks!" He hurried after Mai.

"Hey, wait! Max!" The bluenette ran out the door and onto the road. "I'll see you guys there!" He called after them as Max pedaled down the street with Mai riding at the back, her ponytail swaying wildly in the wind.

"LATER, TYSOOOON!" She waved at him before disappearing down the slope.

He sighed at went back into the house. "Those kids left already?" Grampa G lifted his head from the newspaper.

"Yeah," He muttered and began clearing the table…

-Beystadium-

'Everything I've been through was because of you…'

Draciel tackled Levian, pushing it towards the edge.

'The first jewel, the second…'

The white blade broke free from Draciel's attack, speeding off to the other end of the dish. Draciel gave chase, attacking it once more. Levian didn't give in, but it didn't look like he was putting up much of a fight either.

'Why are you taking control of my life? Why can't I have a life of my own?'

The white beyblade drew dangerously close to the edge.

'I was born to resurrect you. Am I fated to die resurrecting you as well?'

"DRACIEL! GRAVITY CONTROL!"

The green blade executed the final blow, sending Levian hurling out of the dish and landing at Mai's feet. Max watched as Mai picked her blade up, no complaints, no demands for a rematch, it wasn't like her, she seemed a bit off today.

"You all right?"

Mai snapped out of her thoughts. "Uh, yeah! Great battle!"

"Whaddya mean "Great battle"? I hardly broke a sweat. And," He ran over to her side and tapped her lightly on the forehead, "_You_ weren't battling at all."

"I was!" She defended.

"You were spacing out. I was battling an empty shell, no spirit, no effort. It's as good as facing your own shadow." He crossed his arms and looked at her.

Mai kept quiet.

"Is something bothering you?"

She shook her head, "Nandemo nai. (It's nothing)" She headed for the bench to retrieve her water bottle.

"Oh c'mon," Max followed her, "you can tell me."

She sat herself down and squirted a jet of water into her mouth, "It's nothing, really," she took notice of the people behind Max, "and I think some people want your autograph." She smiled at him, her eyes telling him to go entertain his fans. Max went away, leaving her to go about her own business. Mai bent low and re-tied her shoelaces but stopped mid-way, '16 years, 8 months and 12 days…I'm 16 years, 8 months and 12 days old.' She let out a small laugh, 'I hope I live past 17 at least.'

Levian: _Don't dwell on it so much. Frowning makes you age faster._

'Oh yeah…Like that helps my situation, Lev…'

Levian: _You're not going to die._

Mai raised a brow.

Levian: _I mean you're not going to die anytime soon. A dream is just a dream. It can never come true unless you make it to be._

"Does it look like I have a say?"

"Talking to yourself again?" Rei sat down beside her.

Mai had no idea she had thought aloud. "What're you doing here?"

His mouth curved, "Same reason why you're here. So what 'say' do you not have?"

Mai felt the bench move; Kai had sat down next to Rei.

"Just thinking," she rocked back and forth, "about what'll happen to me after I've found all the jewels and resurrected Eden."

The Chinese boy leaned back, "What do you think will happen?"

'Heh, wouldn't you like to know the truth…' Mai sighed, "Probably return to China, grow old living in a cramped apartment, become the Godmother of Copellia's children and then die choking on a fish ball." She snorted with laughter.

Rei laughed, "That's the worst case scenario. Why isn't Riya in the picture?"

Mai smiled wistfully, that was the _best_ case scenario. If she didn't die resurrecting Eden, then maybe Riya would, and where would that leave her? Living all alone in a cramped apartment in China…

"Of course he is," she faked a smile, "he's always there."

'Liar.' Kai could see right past her friendly face, right past those deep blue eyes to reveal her true emotion. He could tell that Riya wasn't going to be _in_ the 'picture'. Her eyes were wavering, she was worried about something. 'Why won't you just tell us what's bothering you? Why do you have to be so STUBBORN?'

Mai blinked and the emotion was gone. "C'mon, let's battle!" She got up from her seat and took out her blade. "I want a challenge today; let's gate-crash Tyson's and Max's battle!" She turned and ran towards the dish, preparing her launcher. The two boys followed after her.

"Sorry guys, LET IT RIP!" Mai launched Levian into the dish; he clashed against Draciel and Dragoon and sent them spinning in opposite directions.

"Hey! What gives?" Tyson looked up.

Drigger and Dranzer had entered the dish too.

"We're spicing things up a bit," she beamed, "It's King of the Beydish!"

"You're on!" Tyson accepted the challenge. "GO DRAGOON!"

"Let's knock Kai out first."

The Russian smirked, "As if. DRANZER!"

The blue blade sped past all the others, making a sharp turn and charging straight towards Draciel but a white beyblade had intercepted his attack. Kai looked up to see Rei, his yellow eyes were daring him to attack, but Kai knew his friend too well. Dranzer sped off in the other direction.

"I knew you'd do that. GO DRIGGER! VULCAN CLAW!"

White attacked blue, sparks flying with every contact. The both of them were too preoccupied with returning each others attack that they failed to take note of their other opponents.

"DRAGOON!"

Tyson's blade raced around the beydish, gathering up speed as it did with the air. It was coming, Dragoon's most powerful attack: Evolution Storm. All four beyblades were lifted off their feet, caught up in the eye of the spiraling wind.

'There's no way I'm letting you—' "LEVIAN! ARTIC FLARE!" Mai commanded.

Blue flames burst from within the tornado, engulfing the tower of wind and diminishing it to wisps of air. The beyblades had fallen back into the dish. Amazingly, they were still spinning!

"Woo! Nice job!"

"Thanks!" She returned the smile. She was enjoying this, the adrenaline rush, the thrill of an intense battle where the winner couldn't be decided easily. It was what beyblading was all about to her: fun, friendship and challenge. It wasn't everyday that you got to battle the best and she wanted the battle to last as long as it could.

-Somewhere in the world…-

"REALLY?"

"Yup," the boy chirped.

"WHEN?"

"Next week."

Copellia's eyes were shining, 'I get to see Mai again, after so many months!' "MIT-CHAN! WE'RE GOING TO JAPAN!"

"I KNOW!" Both girls held hands, bouncing in excitement, "I can't wait to see her again!"

Riya and Drex exchanged glances and started laughing. "She's _your_ sister."

"Don't remind me," Drex grinned but asked more quietly, "Do you miss her?"

Riya shoved his hands into his pockets and smiled to himself, "Yeah."

'Mai, wait for me. I'll return to you soon.'

-Tokyo Beystadium-

The five of them sat around the beydish, breathless and perspiring. Within the dish, five blades lay motionless at the bottom, the battle had ended.

"So –pant- who's up for another round?" Tyson lifted his head, wincing under the bright lights of the stadium.

Mai pushed back her hair, wiping her perspiration on her sleeve. "I can't believe –pant- our blades –pant- stopped spinning."

"Nah, we're all just too good for each other," Max lay flat on the ground. Everyone chuckled at this; maybe they _were _all too good.

Tyson got up and dusted off his jeans, "C'mon, we've got school tomorrow."

"Excuse me? _THE_ Tyson Granger is worried about school?" Mai laughed. "Heaven help us!"

The boy gave her a stoned look.

"Okay, okay. I was just kidding." She raised her arms and Max pulled her up, "Thanks."

The group headed for the door when –"Oh crap! I left the washing machine on!"

-Granger residence-

"TTTTTYYYYSSSSOOOONNN!" Grampa G bellowed as foam gurgled out of the washing machine…

-Fast forward-

The Bladebreakers, Hilary and Kenny were gathered in Mr Dickenson's office; waiting.

"He said it was something important."

"For me?" Mai pointed at herself. "What could be so important that I have to rush down straight after school?"

Rei shrugged.

Mai looked pensive as she sat beside him. Across her, Tyson, Max, Kai, Kenny and Hilary waited patiently on the sofa, Tyson drumming his fingers on the arm rest. The classical music playing softly in the background made the wait all the more excruciating.

Just then the doors swung open, "Sorry for the delay, I had to settle some things." The plump man stood in front of them, hands rightly behind his back as if ready to make an announcement.

"So what's the big news, Mr Dickenson?"

"Well Tyson, this concerns Mai more than—"

"WHERE IS SHE? IS SHE IN THERE? MAI?" Someone was shouting on the other side of the door.

Mai stood up upon hearing her name. 'Dare?'

"Well uh—" But before Mr Dickenson could finish, the doors flew open and four figures appeared at the doorway.

Mai dropped her hand to the side. Her mind took a few seconds to register the situation before –"COPELLIA! MIT-CHAN!"

"MAI!"

The three girls ran towards each other, colliding in a big hug and squealing with elation. "What're you guys doing here?"

"To see you!" Copellia replied and pulled out of the hug, taking in the sight of her friend. Mai's hair had grown longer and her face had a healthy glow to it. "Look at you! You're attending high school!" She examined the girl's uniform: a navy blue jacket hugging a white collared shirt, a blue and red pinstriped tie, a checkered dark blue and red skirt with a pair of black shoes.

But Mai's eyes had strayed from Copellia to the person standing at the door. The two held their gaze, neither of them uttering a word, as though the bond between them was so closely knit that words weren't necessary to know what the other was thinking.

"Osashiburi," Riya was the first to speak up.

Mai's eyes softened…

Yeah! Finally something interesting is going happen! Oh, and in case you haven't noticed, the BB have new beyblading attacks! I haven't thought of Kai's yet but maybe some suggestions? Tell me how the attack goes and what Dranzer does. Haha! Let's get creative!


	19. Letting Go

Chapter 56------Letting Go

"Osashiburi," Riya was the first to speak up.

Mai's eyes softened. She had waited so long for this! To see him in the flesh and not just writing letters in vain. This one could talk, could feel, could interact and he was standing RIGHT. IN. FRONT of her!

Mai walked slowly towards him, suppressing the jubilation she was feeling inside. The others watched with bated breath as the girl, step by step, moved closer to Riya.

'She's gonna hug him!'

'Kiss her!'

Such thoughts raced through their minds.

"You…" She leaned in closer.

"They're gonna kiss!" Hilary muttered excitedly.

"…have a mole here," her finger pressed onto the part of Riya's face that was close to the ear. (blu: not a huge mole! Just a tiny one, like a dot)

Some of the people in the room sighed, Mai had done it again……

"Really?" Riya's fingers felt around the side of his face.

"Yeah, kochi yo," she redirected his finger and placed it over the mole. But what happened next made her stiffen up; he had laced his fingers around hers. Her heart beat faster and the blood was rushing to her cheeks that she quickly looked away.

"I…" 'I've missed you so much!' "Actually I…" 'I really like you!' "I…" Mai continued to stammer.

-Ba-dump-

'!'

"Ahem!"

The two quickly let go of each others hand.

Mai touched her chest, 'Sakki no kanji!' She looked at Riya; it didn't look like he felt it.

"Although it's good news that your friends are in town, Mai, they _are_ here on business," Mr Dickenson reminded.

"Business?" Mai turned to face Riya, wanting an explanation.

"Yyyeah," he smiled feebly. "We're here to make a deal with the BBA Japan."

"What deal?"

"We're buying you over."

"WHAT?"

Mai's response was muffled by the Bladebreakers loud exclamation, although the shock did show on her face.

"You can't just walk in here and buy Mai over! What authority do you have?" Tyson stepped in front of Riya.

"Let me explain—" But the bluenette cut him off.

"Just because you're her fiancé doesn—"

"Tyson!"

But alas! Mai and Rei had silenced him too late.

"Her fiancé?" Mr Dickenson looked startled, "Mai, this boy is your fiancé?"

"N-No! I mean—!" Mai bit her lip in frustration, "TYSON YOU IDIOT!"

"Oh my! An arranged marriage?"

The distraught girl found it hard to reply. The cat was out of the bag and it was all bloody Tyson's fault! She shot a scornful look at him.

"That's correct, sir," Riya replied with much resolution in his voice, "I'm her fiancé."

"Riya! Sore wa—!"

He gave her a comforting look, "Daijoubu da," and turned back to Mr Dickenson, "We would appreciate it very much if you not tell this to anyone." He lowered his head.

'Cheh, what a suck-up,' Kai thought.

Dranzer: _At least he's polite, unlike someone…_

The boy narrowed his eyes.

Mr Dickenson gave a laugh, "Come now, no need for formalities, we're all friends here. But you have my word, Mr uh…"

"Fujimori. Fujimori Riya desu. Yorushikku onegaishimasu." The both of them shook hands.

'Fujimori…Mai Fujimori,' Mai giggled, 'Kinda has a nice ring to it!'

"What?" Mit-chan elbowed her.

"Nothing!" Mai straighten her face. Mit-chan wasn't convinced but she wasn't the sort who would pry into other people's business.

The rotund man sat behind his desk, "So about this deal?"

"Whatever it is, I object!" The words shot out of Tyson's mouth.

"Me too!" Max stood by Tyson's side.

Hilary grabbed Tyson by the arm and whispered harshly, "Stop making a scene! You've already caused enough trouble!"

"But he wants to take Mai away!" the boy argued, shaking off her grip.

"Actually," Drex raised a finger, "We're just here to represent BBA China. They're the ones who want to buy Mai over."

"BBA China?" Rei questioned.

"Sou," Copellia leant against the sofa, "They want her for the world cup."

"World Cup?" Mai, Tyson and Kenny asked in unison.

"The idea has been approved, but it's still in its planning stage. I didn't expect the BBA China to act so quickly." Mr Dickenson got up from his desk to retrieve a folder from a nearby shelf. "Each country is represented by a team who must be made up of its own nationals. Meaning to say, if you boys want to participate, then Tyson would have to represent Japan, Max, America, and so on."

"That means we'd be facing each other…" Max thought aloud.

'China wants me…for the world cup? But,' Mai looked at the Bladebreakers, 'I can't just leave the team, can I?'

"But that doesn't mean Mai has to leave now?" the neko-jin reasoned, hoping to sway Mai's decision. "She can return and represent China when it's nearing the world cup. I'd do that too if they asked me."

-flashback-

"She's returning to Riya and the others."

-End of flashback-

He glanced wistfully in Mai's direction. Knowing what he knew, he could only hope that the girl would stay, albeit unlikely…

"Well, it says here that the BBA China is offering 50 million yen for her transfer," Mr Dickenson read off the paper handed to him earlier.

"50 MILLION? THAT'S A LOT!" Hilary exclaimed.

"But the decision ultimately lies with Mai," he peered at her through his half-moon glasses.

Mai could feel everyone's stares on her, the Bladebreakers, Copellia and the others, Mr Dickenson…

"Don't do it, Mai. We're a team!" Max begged.

'Max…' Her eyes shifted to Riya, he nodded his head slightly, 'Riya…' She could feel the pressure on her, every stare was grinding deeper and deeper into her conscience. 'If I go with Riya, I'll be letting them down when they've done so much for me. If I stay with them, then who knows when I'll get to see Riya and the rest again…But if I stay with them then I'd get them into a whole load of trouble…But they've done so much! It'd be ungrateful if I…' Mai couldn't decide; she wanted to be with all of them! Why did everyone want a piece of her? The Bladebreakers were pulling at her limbs, Riya at her heart and Kai—

'Kai!' She turned to look at him. The boy didn't meet her gaze. In fact, he didn't meet anyone's gaze. He had stood aloof from the rest, sitting on the sofa doing what he did best: pretending to be invisible. 'Kai…you—'

"Come with us, Mai," Mit-chan coaxed.

"I…-looks at BB- I…-looks at Copellia and the others-" The girl let out an immense sigh, "Can I have more time, please? All this…it's too sudden."

The Bladebreakers heaved a mental sigh of relief. They had managed to put her decision off, for now. Not surprisingly, a lot of convincing would be done when they reach home though…

"All right then," Mr Dickenson put away the form, "But there is a deadline for the reply. When are you leaving?"

"Time's not a problem, Mr Dickenson," Riya faced Rei, "We leave when she's coming home with us."

'!'

"You see? They're gonna take her away! Screw the 50 million! We're not—Mpppf mguhhhpp!" Hilary clamped a hand over Tyson's mouth and with Kenny's help, the both of them dragged him out of the office.

"Let's go…" Rei's voice was frigid as he steered Mai out of the room.

"Mai!"

"Riya!" Her arms were outstretched, fingers grasping thin air.

"Let her go," A cold hand placed a firm hold on Rei's shoulder.

"But!"

"She doesn't belong to us. Let her go…" A shadow hung over his eyes as his voice sounded from under his fringe; a hollow, heavy, with a tinge of regret, voice…Kai couldn't look at her, not like this. Not when they had to part like this…

Rei reluctantly released his hold on her and she got pulled towards Copellia. Mai watched as her captain turned his heel and left with the rest of the team; his white scarf flapping behind him as he walked, further away… and further away…

'Kai…'

blu: -sniff- Poor Kai! –bawls- I feel so sorry for you! –blows nose on a tissue-

"He's amazing isn't he?" Copellia gave a dreamy sigh, "You're so lucky you get to live with him!" She slapped Mai playfully on the shoulder.

Mai couldn't even smile. She felt rotten, discarded, something was tugging at her heart and it was pulling hard. It felt so heavy…so heavy that she could feel it sinking…

"Kai…"

-Outside-

Rei, Max and Kai came out of the lift and were immediately blocked by Tyson. "Where's Mai?" The boy peered over their shoulders, "Where is she?" he demanded.

Max gave him a wincing glance and shook his head.

"They can't!" The boy pushed through them and headed for the lift but Rei grabbed hold of him. "It's no use, Tyson." He looked him in the eyes, eyes filled with hopelessness.

"NO IT'S NOT! MAI HASN'T MADE A DECISION YET! SHE HASN'T MADE A DECISION YET!" The boy squirmed in his friend's grip, trying to get loose.

Hilary came over and touched his shoulder, "Don't." Her eyes were gloomy, she too was upset. They all were… 'And to think, she promised us she'd never leave…'

"I DON'T CARE! SHE'S OUR TEAM MATE! HE CAN'T –"

-SLAP!-

'!' Tyson touched the side of his face, too stunned to say anything.

The brunette retracted her hand. She looked angry but she looked like she wanted to cry as well. Swallowing hard, she rebuked him, "She's a Zeelan! They're the only family she's got! Why can't you understand that?"

"Hilary…" Kenny watched from the sides, everyone was fighting, arguing, shouting. He didn't like it, they were all friends! He didn't like it at all…

"She's not one of us! She never was so just let her go!" The girl finished, wearing a pained expression on her face. She didn't want Mai to leave but what could they do? They couldn't force her to stay. Her tribe was closer to her than they'll ever be.

"But still…" Max finally spoke up, "she's our friend" and with determination in his eyes he continued, "and unless she tells us straight in the face, I don't believe she's leaving us."

Kai smirked, what admirable words coming from a boy who usually repeated what others said. But he found no wrong in sharing the hope that Max and Tyson had, unless she told them straight in the face, he wasn't giving up on her.

-Really fast forward-

The boys sat in the living room. The TV was on but no one was really paying attention, they glanced up at the clock more often than at the TV.

"She's not home yet…" Max spoke to no one in particular.

"Hm." Tyson looked at the clock again. It was like waiting for New Year's Day to come, every minute and every second mattered, till the final–

-Dong Dong Dong-

The clocked chimed throughout the house, it was 11 o'clock and still no word from Mai.

"Maybe she's not coming back," Max said woefully.

Speak of the devil, there was a click at the door, "Tadai—ma…" The look upon their faces made her cheerfulness seem inappropriate and Mai's smile vanished.

"Genki sou na. (You seem happy)" Tyson didn't look her way, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Ah sou! Ban gohan wa tabemasu ka? Watashi—( Oh! Have you guys eaten dinner? I brought—)" She reached for her bag but—

"Tabemashita. (We've eaten)" Mai was shot down again.

"N-Nani yo? Kono tsumetai no kotoba… (What's with the cold treatment)" She could tell that they were angry with her, like they didn't want her around. Sensing no reply, the girl headed upstairs.

"So you came home to pack your stuff then?"

Mai froze on the steps; the heavy feeling in her heart came flooding back. 'So this is what it's all about huh…' Tyson appeared at the foot of the steps, watching her, wanting to see her guilt; if she had any… "Well?"

Without turning around, the girl replied lifelessly, "No, I came back because I have school tomorrow." She continued up the stairs, 'How could they?' step by step, 'How could they think that way when I haven't even decided yet?' and turned the corner to her room, "How could you judge me when you know nothing?" she whispered to herself…

'It's not like I want to leave you guys…' Mai was curled up on the bed, her jacket strewn on the floor. She didn't feel like doing anything, they had ruined her mood. There was a knock on the door, she opened her eyes but did nothing. She wanted to be alone. That was what they wanted wasn't it? They didn't want her around…

The door creaked open and a voice sounded from outside, "Can I come in?"

Mai turned around so that she now faced the door. She gave Rei a look that said what-do-you-think? "Well it's my room too, you know," the boy invited himself in. Mai rolled her eyes; Rei can be so corny sometimes… He picked up the blazer, folded it and placed it nicely on her bed.

"Go away, please?"

"Sorry, no can do, Ms Takuya. This here room is mine too."

Mai laughed, he sounded like a very bad replacement for one of those old American cowboy movies.

"See? You're better already."

Mai looked at him and smiled, "Mariah has no idea how lucky she is."

"Really?" The boy grinned, exposing his toothy canines. "Why? Am I your type?" He hardly ever teased people, but if it could cheer Mai up, then he wouldn't mind doing it.

"Don't push it," she smirked and threw a pillow at him.

At that moment, Kai walked into the room and the tension rose like a thermometer in boiling water. Mai didn't look at him, but watched his feet as it shuffled towards his bed. 'Would I be hurting him the most if I left? But he knows I have a fiancé! He should understand right? RIGHT? There wasn't anything between us in the first place…'

'……Or was there?'

Mai shook her head to erase the thought. She had a responsibility to Riya, and Kai, well Kai was just her Captain, a person she still respected despite all the bickering between them. But there was something about him, his cold demeanour, those fearless eyes, that suave beyblading style, or perhaps his whole person, that fascinated Mai. Up till now, she knew nothing about him, and this curiosity to find out who he really was behind that mysterious persona really bothered her.

But it wasn't as if she had paid so much attention to it. She had tried to make him open up, slowly, through these past months but to no avail. The boy was unbreakable. 'And now everything's so obvious, you're making me feel guilty…'

"Umm, I think I left the TV on downstairs," Rei broke the awkward silence floating in the air and rushed out of the room.

'Gee, thanks a lot, Rei. You leave me alone with HIM?' Mai furrowed her brows. She quickly stole a peek at him; Kai was brandishing his beyblade with his blanket. "Uh, tomorrow… I'll be meeting Copellia and the guys after school." Mai paused, checking to see if Kai had any reaction.

'And you're telling me this because?'

"So you guys can go off first. Ri—Copellia can send me home afterwards," she finished sheepishly.

'So you're coming home again huh? Some nerve you got, Mai.' Kai never took his eyes off Dranzer and pretended to be oblivious to the person in the room with him. Why care? She's going to leave in the end so why stop her? Let her do what she liked, it would be Riya's responsibility from now on so he was through being her captain.

He was through being anything to her…

Kai rolled over on his side, away from Mai, and stared at his bit-chip. 'It's just you and me, Dranzer.'

'It has been and will always be…'

blu: -dabs eyes with tissue- This is so sad! Why does the story have to go like this? –starts tearing again- Somebody help KAI!

Kai: -rolls eyes- Someone ought to help you first…

blu: -sniffs- Shut up! You don't get Mai! –cries harder-

Kai: Damn… -sits down and sulks-

Anyway, to see what happens, please review! The next chapter will be awesome! Even I like it lol


	20. Sold Your Soul

Chapter 57------Sold your Soul

Mai stared at the math equation; the math equation stared back at her. 'Find the approximate percentage change in y?' She re-read the question, tapping her mechanical pencil impatiently on the textbook, 'Argh! I don't know!'

The girl glanced up at the clock, 20 more minutes till dismissal, then shifted her vision to the school gate and then back to her textbook and sighed. 'Maybe I could ask Hila—never mind…' Mai knew the girl was upset, Hilary hardly talked to her during lunch today and would barely smile whenever they met each others gaze. She wasn't herself, they _all_ weren't themselves. Nothing nice ever came out of Tyson's mouth anymore, Kai skipped breakfast and left early for school, Max didn't crack a joke today and Kenny, well Kenny was just himself. The only person who didn't treat her differently was Rei.

"Takuya-san."

Mai jerked at the touch of something on her shoulder. She took the worksheet, extracted her own from her bag and passed it up to the front.

"I want all of you to bring your mathematical sets tomorrow. We're moving onto Transformation. Class dismissed."

The students bowed and hurriedly packed their bags. Mai chucked the stationery into her pencil box, pulled the zipper across and stuffed it into her bag.

"Let's go Hilary!"

"Coming!" She threw her bag over her shoulder and jogged after Tyson.

Mai watched as Tyson, Hilary and Kenny ran out of the classroom…

Something inside her compressed, shrivelled up and died. They NEVER did that! They never left without her! They ALWAYS leave together! How could they? HOW COULD THEY?

She slowed her pace, taking time to close her books and place them neatly in her bag. She could feel it, the feeling of being hated, ostracised, it was as though she had become a total stranger to them overnight. They wouldn't even…wouldn't even… Mai swallowed hard.

She headed up to the fourth floor where the 3rd years were; hopefully she could catch him in time before he left. A junior in a senior level, especially a girl, usually gave people the impression that she was waiting for someone 'special' and hence, the weird looks Mai was receiving as she walked through the corridors. '3B…Where's 3B?'

"Is Rei around?" Mai announced as she stepped into 3B.

Kai looked up at the sound of a familiar voice.

The class erupted into sniggers and "Ooooo"s and some people turned to face Rei.

"Hey, Rei! Your girlfriend's here to see you!" A group of boys started laughing.

"Quit it, guys. She's not my girlfriend," Rei laughed and walked towards Mai. "Yes?"

"Well uh, maybe Kai hasn't told you but, I'm meeting Copellia and the rest after school today so you guys can go off first."

Rei nodded, "Don't stay out too late, okay?"

"Yeah. Ja ittekimasu," she bowed and hurried off.

Rei went back inside, taking a detour and halting at Kai's desk. "Why didn't you tell us that she's meeting Copellia after school today?"

Kai shrugged.

Knowing that he wouldn't entertain him, Rei gave up went back to his seat…

A pair of feet scurried through the school doors, stepping over puddles, shifting in and out of the many pairs of feet heading towards the gate. Once outside school, Mai broke free from the sea of students and stood by the wall, looking out for her friends. 'Osoi na. (They're late)'

"He's here!"

"Who?"

"Riya! Fujimori Riya!"

'Riya?' Mai eavesdropped on the conversation.

"REALLY?"

"Let's go!" A girl pulled her friend by the hand.

Mai followed the two into the school and saw that a swarming mass of girls had gathered near the field.

"RIYA-KUN!"

"Sign my book, Riya!"

"KYAA!"

"Aitsu wa… (That guy…)" She marched up to the crowd…

-Upstairs-

Rei stood by the window and chuckled, "Looks like Riya's here." Kai stood abreast him, looking down at the mass of girls clustering around a single figure. But a head moving in the crowd caught his attention. It wasn't like the rest, bobbing up and down; this one was moving towards the centre of attention.

-Outside-

"Excuse me. Coming through," Mai pushed herself through the multitude of jostling bodies, squeezing through the gaps, however tiny. She didn't know if she was headed in the right direction but from the pushing, the students were leading her straight to Riya.

"Sign my hand, Riya!"

"Over here Riya-kun!"

"Actually I—" The boy smiled weakly. 'Drex! You traitor!'

"T-Thank you!"

"You're welcome?" Riya scanned his surroundings, wondering who said the thanks when he spotted someone smirking at him.

"Tanoshii sou? (Enjoying yourself)" Mai stood there, her arms crossed, wearing a smug look on her face.

Riya's eyes had a look that said SAVE-ME! The girl did nothing. He had gotten himself into this mess, he'd have to get himself out of it. 'Onegai! (Please)' he mouthed.

Sighing, Mai took him by the arm, "Sorry, Riya's got an important BBA meeting to attend! Make way, please!" It was like the parting of the red sea as Mai pulled Riya along. Some girls watched with jaws hanging open, 'She—She's holding Riya's arm!' while others whispered among themselves.

"Walking out in broad daylight like that, why didn't you wear a disguise?"

Riya stayed silent, letting himself be lead like a dog. Eventually, Mai dragged him out of the school where she saw Copellia, Mit-chan and Drex waiting by a car. "What took you so long?" Copellia's eyes were laughing. Riya narrowed his purple orbs, she knew very well what took him so long.

"Looks like we've got company," Her eyes darted to the approaching fan girls, "get in! Quick!" The five of them ducked into the car, "Ow! That's my foot!" "Sorry!" "Step on it, King!" and it sped off. Riya glanced back at the group of screaming fans trailing after the car and faced front, squishing himself between the door and Mai. They had packed into the car so quickly that they didn't have time to 'arrange' themselves. Giving up, he crossed his legs and sat sideways.

"You guys all right back there?" Drex asked through the rear view mirror.

"Yeah," Mit-chan growled. She didn't like being pressed up against the window.

"Jeez, Mai, you've gained weight," Copellia shifted about, trying to get comfortable.

"IT'S THE JACKET!" The girl defended. Riya chuckled at this.

The maroon-haired girl clucked her tongue, "Well take it off then!"

Mai struggled to remove her jacket, her arm knocking against Riya and Copellia, and placed it on her lap. At that moment, something fell out of her jacket pocket. Riya bent low to retrieve the tiny pouch when—

-Ba-dump-

'!' It struck him like static on a cold day.

'Kono kanji—!' Holding the pouch, he could feel it; he could feel it calling to him, he— A hand swiped it out of his grasp, "Thanks," Mai shoved the pouch into her bag and pulled it close.

"Got something important inside?" Riya questioned.

"Yeah," the girl replied quickly, "you know, girl's stuff." She stared straight ahead, pretending that nothing was wrong.

The boy nodded his head and turned to the scenery zipping by. But unknown to the rest of them, the corner of his mouth curved into a sly grin. Oh he knew all right, he knew exactly what was in the pouch, and he'd stop at nothing to get it…

-Granger residence-

"C'MON DRAGOON!"

"LET'S GO DRACIEL!"

Draciel spun out of Dragoon's line of attack and tackled him from behind, knocking Dragoon off balance for a quart of a second and taking this opportunity to attack him again, slamming the white beyblade into the side of the dish.

"NO, DRAGOON! ARGH! TYPHOON ATTACK!"

"Whoa! He's all fired up," Hilary watched from the corridor.

"Yeah, but for all the wrong reasons," Kenny watched the battle on his computer screen, "he isn't concentrating. He's blinded by his anger and just throwing out attacks, he's gonna run himself in if he doesn't focus on the battle."

Dragoon kicked up speed, charging at Draciel with a whirlwind raging behind him. "DRACIEL!" The green blade glowed and headed straight into the whirlwind, the next thing they knew, Dragoon's attack had turned into a water cyclone, much to Draciel's advantage. The tidal wave crashed down Dragoon, and like flotsam and jetsam, the white blade washed up on the ground while Draciel leapt out of the dish right into Max's palm.

"Dragoon…" Tyson knelt next to his blade and clenched his fists. 'This wasn't supposed to happen! How could I lose? I'm world champ! How could I LOSE?' "Jikkushyo!" The boy punched the ground.

"Tyson…" Max watched his friend. That wasn't just an ordinary battle, there was more to it. "Hey, you did your best buddy." He stood next to Tyson, the boy kept his head down, "And it was an awesome battle!"

Still no response…

"Leave him, Max. Let the sore loser wallow in his own defeat," Kai got up to leave.

Tyson let out a laugh, "So the pot's calling the kettle black? It's not as if you haven't been affected by it, _Kai_." He sneered on the last word.

The Russian halted and gritted his teeth, 'How dare you…'

Kai turned around and stared him straight in the eye, "Unlike you," he started in a cold voice as he walked towards Tyson, "I have my pride," and closer, "and unlike you," until he was inches away from Tyson that they could share the same air, "I don't let my feelings get in the way of a beybattle." His crimson eyes glared at the bluenette, as if trying to say "what do you have to say to that now, huh?"

Tyson didn't utter a word, he couldn't think of a better comeback to match up to Kai's; the boy had delivered the ultimatum. With that, Kai broke eye contact and went inside the house. He wasn't going to waste his time proving himself to Tyson; he didn't have to prove anything.

"I don't get it. What 'it' was he talking about?"

"The Mai problem…" Kenny, Rei and Hilary replied tersely.

"Ohhh, _that_…" the blond nodded his head. "Well I hope he recovers in time for the European tournament.

"Yeah, and it better be soon." Rei looked worriedly at Tyson, he was just standing there, watching his beyblade spin in the dish…

-Back to Riya and gang-

"And then?" Copellia leaned in closer.

"And then Kai jumped in front and blew away all the snakes with Dranzer Gigs and we managed to escape."

"REALLY?" Mai's friend had stars shining in her eyes, "THAT'S SO COOL!"

"Yeah!" Mai beamed.

Mit-chan listened with disinterest and picked at her cheesecake while Drex and Riya were amused at how animated Mai was telling the story.

"What else did he do?"

Mit-chan let out a sigh and rolled her eyes, what is it with girls and their crushes? She found it stupid, the giggling and the squealing, ugh! Didn't they have anything better to do?

"Lots of things, I can't remember." Mai took a sip of her hot chocolate, "But why do you like him so much? He's an egoistic, stubborn, mute, cold-hearted, unfriendly, quarrelsome, hot-tempered –"

"Jerk!" Mit-chan interrupted.

"Ditto!" Mai pointed out.

"Really? If he's that unbearable then why do you pay so much attention to him?" Copellia smirked.

"What do you mean?"

"He's an egoistic, stubborn, mute, cold-hearted, blah blah blah," she mimicked. "How would you know all this if you don't pay any attention to him?"

"Because I'm speaking from experience!" The table shook. Mai recalled the time when he made her clean the kitchen all by herself, made her his servant for two weeks, made her look like a fool in front of the rest when he trashed her beyblade (blu: several times, mind you), made her suffer on that stupid game show! 'You !#$! Wait till I get my !#$ revenge and then you'll !#$ pay!'

"All right! Don't need to get all melodramatic. I was just kidding," Copellia passed a serviette to Drex to wipe up the spilt coffee.

"Sorry," the ashen-haired girl dipped her head, "I'll get you another—"

"That's okay," Drex chuckled, "Kai must be that bad to make you this angry."

Mai leant back in her chair and huffed, "If you can stand him then I take my hat off to you, Lia. That guy has mood-swings worse than a girl. One minute he's scolding you and the next he's being nice…" She stabbed her fork into Mit-chan's cheesecake and placed a piece in her mouth.

"He must really like you," Riya replied off-handedly as he stared into his cup; the brown liquid was swirling about, licking at the porcelain walls.

'!' The girl stopped chewing…

…and then started again, more slowly this time, breaking the piece crumb by crumb in her mouth with her tongue, taking her time…stalling… "No," Mai finally swallowed, "he doesn't like me," she smiled wryly, "because I'm a burden to the team…"

"Then come with us!" Mit-chan spoke up. "Why stay with those Humans when they don't appreciate you?"

'So she calls them Humans huh…' Mai forced a laugh. Her flaxen-haired friend had made it very obvious who side she was on. Ever since she found out the truth about Mai's grandfather, about how he burnt the whole village and killed everyone, she had developed a hatred for all Humans, a grudge so deep that it ran in her blood. If evil Eden was unleashed, there was no doubt she'd be his right-hand man. "It's not that they don't appreciate me, it's just…just…"

She hated bringing up the subject but… "What about Eden?"

'So you haven't forgotten…' Riya thought. But then he remembered something else.

"Forget that!" Copellia argued, "What about the both of you?" She looked from Riya to Mai.

"Sorry, I need to use the washroom for a while," Riya got up from his seat.

Copellia gave him a look that said why-are-you-leaving-now-when-we're-discussing-this? But the boy ignored it and headed out of the café. He, or should I say, _Eden_, had more important things to do…

-Room 108-

-Riya's POV-

Dammit! WHERE IS IT?

I emptied out the contents of her bag. My hand dug through the pile of books and stationery. Pouch…pouch…WHERE'S THE POUCH?

I checked on the floor and under the bed, nothing. Argh! Where could it be? It has to be here! I turned over every object again, making sure I didn't miss anything.

"Tsk!" I straightened up and frowned at my failed attempt. It really wasn't here. I neatly placed everything backed into her bag, back into its original position; I had to get rid of the evidence.

"_Kill the girl._" (blu: okay, the words in italics belong to Eden. Here, Riya is speaking but it's Eden's voice. Unlike Mai, Riya is able to subconsciously shift in and out of his transformation, allowing him to communicate with Eden. Whenever Riya changes to Eden, his eyes become crimson -refer to 'Clash of the Divines' in Blue Eyes-)

Wha—? I blinked, it was happening again.

"_Get the jewels and kill the girl._"

"I can't kill Mai! She's my—_enemy—_ NO!"

-Ba-dump!-

I clutched my head, "Eden! Omae! (You—!) –Ba-dump- AAARRGH!" The pain was sudden, like a giant needle piercing through the side of my head. I crumbled to my knees, tucking my chin under my neck. "Mai's…coming with us," I struggled to fight the pain, "and then I'll have the jewels…dakara…kanojou wa…korosenai…onegai! (so please…don't kill her!)" I pushed away all thoughts of cursing Eden or arguing back. I HAD to if I didn't want my head to explode any time soon.

The pain lingered for a while and like a dream, it seemed to float away. I lifted my right leg, then my left and slowly managed to steady myself. Clumsily, I lumbered towards the bathroom, clinging onto walls, chairs, anything for support. I turned on the faucet and splashed the cooling liquid onto my face. I couldn't let them see me like this, I needed to regain my composure before I went back downstairs.

I looked up and met with my reflection in the mirror. Those purple eyes which once shone with laughter and happiness had lost its luster. I gazed into their dark pupils, watching it expand and contract in size. That person wasn't me…It wasn't!

And then it struck me. Mai couldn't tell the difference!

Can't you tell? Can't you see the _real_me behind Eden?

You couldn't tell…

You couldn't see…

My fingers gripped the marble countertop.

That the one you love…

Isn't me…

I watched my expression falter, the contours of my face shifting, changing with every level of emotion I felt: from disappointment to sadness, to anguish…

This is all your fault.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR BLOODY FAULT, EDEN!" I slammed a fist against the mirror, the sound rattled throughout the bathroom. I would've been embarrassed by my barbaric act if I hadn't been so infuriated. That's right. Right now I didn't care! I didn't care what anyone would think, or say or do! I wanted out of this! Out of this fucking life!

"_It's your destiny._"

"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!" I smacked my head. "Why are you doing this? First the people in Ishbal (blu: Eden destroyed Ishbal to obtain the jewel. So now Riya has one and Mai has two) and now Mai? Who's next huh? Copellia? Drex? MIT-CHA—AAARGH!"

The pain shot through my head and I winced in agony.

"_Heh,_" I saw myself smirk, "_insolent fool! If you get rid of her then there'll be no one left to stop us!_"

"Demo…Mai wa…aisuru no hito! (But I love her!)"

"_Ai? Haha…HahahaAHAHAHAHA! Fuzakeru da! Ningen wa ai to nani mo wakaranai!_ (_Love? HahahahaAHAHAHAHAH! Stop fooling around! Humans know nothing about love_!)" I shouted exasperatedly.

"I'll do anything…" the pain was still pulsating through my head, "just please…don't hurt Mai."

"_Moshi kimi dekinai kara, na boku kanojou wa korosu! (If you can't kill her, then _I_ will!)._"

'!'

With that, the pain disappeared and the crimson in my eyes faded back to its original purple hue. I placed my palms against the sink, ' '_Moshi kimi dekinai kara, na boku kanojou wa korosu.' _He's going to kill her,' my eyes shifted uneasily. I was frantic; I didn't know how to stop him! Eden could take over my body anytime he liked, he could kill Mai anytime he liked!

I had to warn Mai!

I reached for the bathroom door when—

I'm soooo terribly sorry i took so long to update, i had to go on a computer hiatus for a while (readers: a while? A WHILE? YOU TOOK LIKE A FREAKING CENTURY!) because of my majorly important exam. But it's over!!! Woo!! and this chapter's kinda long so i guess i've made up for the wait? I hope... Please review!


	21. Precious Things

Chapter 58------Precious Things

-Riya's POV-

I reached for the bathroom door when—

It opened from the other side and the person whom I least wanted to see in a situation like this stood at the doorway.

"Riya-kun? Naze koko ni? (Riya? What're you doing here?)" A pair of dark blue eyes shone with surprise.

Dammit! Why now?

"I uh, I wanted to get something," I quickly lied and moved past her. I had to get her away from here as fast as possible, away from me, otherwise—

-Ba-dump!-

I blinked hard.

"Riya?"

I kept my head down in case my eyes had changed colour. "Listen, Mai, you have to—" -Ba-dump! - I hissed as another wave of pain rippled through my head.

"What? What's wrong?" Mai was anxious as she ran to my side, settling me down on the bed.

"Ni—ARGH!" –Ba-dump! - I cringed.

Please! Please don't do this!

"Dooshite? Riya!"

-Ba-dump! - -Ba-dump! - -Ba-dump!-

Don't hurt Mai!

-Ba-dump! - -Ba-dump! - -Ba-dump! - -Ba-dump! - -Ba-dump!-

My head felt like it was being pounded by a jackhammer. The pounding grew more and more intense till the point where I thought I had lost my mind, I couldn't feel anything! All of a sudden I felt no pain, I felt like I wasn't there.

-End of POV-

Mai couldn't touch his head but held his shoulders, arm, anything to try and make the situation better. She was at a loss, Riya was suffering and she didn't know how to help him! She didn't even know what was wrong with him! Inside, her conscience was screaming: "Help him, you fool!" but how? HOW? "Ne, Riya! Dooshite?"

'!'

He had his arms around her, pulling her close, tight.

"R-Riya?"

"_Aitakatta_, (I've missed you)" Eden whispered to conceal his voice, "_zutto…aitakatta_."

She felt her stomach cave in, her heart go into overdrive and her breath caught in her throat. She held back tears of joy. They had been apart for so long and hearing those words, hearing those words felt like the best thing that ever happened to her. It felt like wings, like freedom, supreme happiness!

"_I thought I'd never see you again._"

Behind him, the drawer of the desk rattled softly and slid open. With a twitch of the hand, the letter opener rose up like the waking dead and levitated in mid air.

"Baka, you promised remember? You promised we'd never let Eden come between us." Mai clung to him like glue. She didn't want to let go, she didn't want to have to go back to writing empty letters or talking to herself hoping that he'd hear her. She wanted the real thing: the brown-haired, purple-eyed and charismatic boy whom she grew up with. To savour the feeling of being loved and cherished again, to regain everything that she had lost a year ago.

"_Well,_" the letter opener flew into Eden's raised palm, "_I lied_," and he brought his hand down—

Levian: _Mai!_

'!'

The sharp end of the letter opener pierced through the bed sheet between them as Mai pushed herself off Riya. She backed away slowly, eyes wide with fright, "W-What're you doing?"

The boy got up, wearing a smug look as he pulled out the letter opener and held it firmly in his hand. "_I missed?_" He met her gaze with cynical eyes and advanced towards her. With every step he took, Mai took two steps back, nearly tripping over the corner of the bed as she groped her way around. She reached the door and shook the handle; it wouldn't open! She grew frantic and shook harder, 'Please! Please open!' while keeping her eyes on the blade. Her breath came in short gasps as fear gripped at her heart, what was going on? WHY DID RIYA WANT TO KILL HER?

"_Muda da. (it's no use)_"

Mai banged on the door, praying that someone would hear her shouts for help. "_Urusai na. (You're so noisy)_" Riya's eyes flashed and a pair of invisible hands restrained Mai's movement. 'Nani!' She struggled and pushed harder but her hand wouldn't budge. Her whole body had become immobile! She pushed and gritted her teeth but to no avail. The least she could manage was a bit of shaking while trying to repel the immense force.

"_Katta ne, ni-chan. (looks like I've won, brother)_" He stood inches from her face, wanting to see the horror embedded in those eyes, the quivering of those lips, and broke into a sadistic smile. 'Such weaklings.'

"Why?" Mai managed to stammer. One again she found herself begging for her life, but could she escape unharmed this time like she had done so many times in the past? Could she escape from _Eden_?

There she stood, frozen, teary-eyed and helpless. "Why?" Broken promises, destinies, tears, laughter, bit-beasts, rivalry and power; bits and pieces of the possible answers flitted inside her head. She had seen Riya smiling, Riya laughing, Riya angry, Riya sad, Riya vexed but never like this, Riya had never acted like this. "Naze da? (Why)" The clear liquid was starting to flow.

"NAZE DA? RIYA!"

And like a bullet through the head, Eden's eyes glazed over for a millisecond.

-Riya's POV-

"Mai…!"

She looked stunned.

"Ni-ge-te… (run away)!" I fought against Eden's control. It was agonising to see Mai like this, what's worse at the mercy of her own loved one. I'd already lost too many people I care about, I wasn't going to lose Mai as well.

"_Jamada! (Don't interfere)_" Once again, I raised the dagger and brought it down—

"NO!" My arm froze mid way, trembling as though torn between two forces: to kill or not to kill?

"_DIE!" _I snarled but held back the letter opener.

You're not going to hurt her! I WON'T LET YOU!

"Nigete...Mai!"

-End of POV-

For some reason, the spell had worn off and Mai was able to move again. Riya looked like a transition between Jekyll and Hyde, arguing and fighting with himself. Whether good or bad was winning, she wasn't going to stick around to find out. Riya had told her to run, and run she would. She fiddled the handle and to her surprise, the door opened without much effort.

"_YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY THAT EASILY!_"

Mai dashed for the stairs, glancing behind to see Riya chasing after her. She burst through the door and ran down the musty stairway, leaping over two steps at a time. 16th storey, 13th storey, 11th storey…Her legs wobbled with every step but she needed to push on, 'Just reach the lobby! Reach the lobby and you'll be safe!' Upstairs, Riya sent blades of wind hurling at her, ripping at her jacket, slicing the railings and chopping the walls. 7th storey, 5th storey, 2nd storey…

Mai pushed through the door and instantaneously the cool lobby air hit her in the face, vaporising her perspiration. She ran on, attracting the attention of various tourists. Although Riya was far behind, she knew she wasn't safe. She needed an area with more people, she needed to get home! She could hear incessant footsteps against the marble flooring, he was coming!

The girl emerged onto the bustling street. Darting her head around, she headed for the most crowded place she knew: the subway. Riya couldn't catch her there, he wouldn't even dare cause a commotion. Mai raced down the steps and blended into the crowd of commuters. The stitch in her side hurt like hell but the thought of home kept her moving. She'd be safe soon, just a bit more…

-Granger residence, 10.47pm-

Rei sat hunched on the sofa, his gaze lingering on his watch.

-Flashback-

"Don't stay out too late, okay?"

"Yeah. Ja ittekimasu."

-End of flashback-

'She's late…'

Just then, the door bell rang and Rei was up in a flash to answer the door. He peered through the door hole, "It's Mai!" Kai became more engrossed in reading his manga while Rei went on to open the door.

"Okaerinasai. (Welcome back)"

Mai smiled, "Tada—ima…"

"KAI!"

The boy looked up from his manga to see Mai slumped over Rei. He tossed his comic aside and rushed to help his friend, "What happened?"

"Let's get her upstairs."

"What happened?" Tyson shot up from his seat at the sight of Mai. He quickly cleared the books off Mai's bed so that the guys could lay her down. "Take her jacket off." Max did as Kai instructed.

"Someone get a wet towel. Rei, go get the first aid kit downstairs."

The two boys nodded and left the room.

"What happened to her?" Max asked as he took off Mai's shoes and socks.

"I don't know. She fainted when she got here." Kai loosened her tie, undid the first two buttons of her shirt and placed two fingers on her neck. The throbbing was faint but it was there.

That was good enough, that was all he needed.

Rei and Tyson returned carrying a blue basin half-filled with water. Kai opened the first aid kit and took out a small brown bottle.

"What's that?"

"Smelling-salts." He unscrewed the cap and placed the bottle under her nose. Mai snorted and quickly turned her head away from the pungent scent. She groaned as four heads hovered above her.

"You all right?"

"Rei…?" Mai could only recognize their voices. Her vision was so blurry that she could only make out their dark forms against the bright light.

"What happened?" Tyson propped her head up against a pillow.

"Rei…" It sounded as though Mai was forcing herself to speak, "Sorry…I couldn't...come home early…"

'Mai…' The raven-haired boy's eyes turned somber. 'You remembered. You didn't forget.'

She couldn't hold up any longer, that last sentence had drained every bit of her remaining energy and she blacked out again. Tyson shook her arm to wake her but Kai stopped him, "Let her sleep. We can talk in the morning." Tyson nodded obediently and got off the bed, returning to his seat by the desk table.

"Something happened."

"Of course something happened! Look at her!" Max shouted as he directed a hand at Mai.

"No," Rei's voice was dead serious, "something _really_ happened. She knew she had to come home early."

"What're you saying?" Kai looked at him.

"Something's not right," He looked disturbed, 'she was with Riya and the rest so how could she…?' He shook his head, "Never mind. We'll find out tomorrow."

Everyone took a last glance at the slumbering female, 'What on earth happened to her?'

-Next day-

The sheets ruffled as she awoke at midday. Propping herself up, she looked around the room, "Dare mo inai… (Nobody's around)" Mai's eyes wandered to the clock, 'OH SHIT! I'M LATE FOR SCHOOL!' She scrambled out of bed—

"Itte!" The girl collapsed on the ground. Mai looked at her legs, what just happened? She placed one foot on the floor and crumbled like jelly. She tried to get up but her knee bent under her weight. "Oh my god what's wrong with me? Why can't get up?" She punched her calf, 'ITTE!' Okay, so it wasn't numb… But why did it hurt so much? It felt as though the muscle had been pulled, like she had been doing a lot of running.

'Running!' It suddenly hit her. She _had_ been running! 'Sou…I was running from Riya.' An image of Riya flashed in her mind, he was holding a letter opener and his eyes were red…His eyes were red… 'HIS EYES WERE RED? But Riya doesn't have red eyes?' And yet, they looked so familiar, where had she seen them before?

-Flashback-

"Riya! Riya what's wrong?" I shook him. His face was turned downwards and he was mumbling something. It came out all messy and I couldn't make it out. "What's wrong?" I turned him around and— -gasp- red eyes. He had red eyes. "Riya?"

The person in front of me tilted his head to the side and grinned— not in a nice way… not in a way I found safe.

"_Hello brother._" I took a step back, this wasn't Riya's voice. This was…I started to panic…This was…

-End of flashback-

'Eden!' her head shot up. There was no mistake, if she could recall clearly, Riya's voice sounded strange last night. 'But if that was Eden…then he's the one who wants to kill me?' Mai couldn't understand. WHY? She had Eden inside her but she wouldn't dream of killing Riya. Why would Eden want to kill Eden?

"Whatcha doin' on da floor?" Grampa G was standing at the doorway carrying a pile of towels, he looked like he was just passing by.

"Ugokenai. (I can't move)"

"Eh?" The old man blinked.

She rubbed her calf, "I think I pulled a muscle."

-Riya and gang-

-Riya's POV-

I unlocked the sliding door and stepped out onto the balcony. Instantaneously, a gust of cool air hit me in the face, carrying with it a trace of exhaust fumes from the cars below. I snorted, not wanting any dust particles to enter my respiratory system.

The kind of air people breathe in the city…

I heard the door slide open.

"Yo. (Hey)" Copellia came up beside me, leaning against the railing as the wind blew at her fringe. "A lot of Japanese smoke, no?"

I looked down; the pavement was lined with smokers, all men. "Yeah."

"Still thinking about last night?"

I frowned; she had brought back the shameful memory of last night. "What was I thinking? I tried to kill her!" I remembered how petrified she was; she looked at me like I was a _monster_.

Was I?

"But you were possessed by Eden."

"It wouldn't have happened if I weren't so weak! I could've fought harder, I could've resisted his control! But I couldn't! I couldn't…"

"Riya…"

"How many more people have to die, Copellia? How many more have to die at my hands?" I hated this. Eden was using me as his killing puppet. All I wanted was to free Eden and avenge our tribe, I never asked for bloodshed. And no matter how hard I washed, the invisible stain would remain, on my hands…and in my heart.

"Everyone's weak, that's why we have friends," she faced me, "you may be powerless on your own but together, we can overcome anything."

"She's right." Drex appeared at the door way. "No matter what happens, we'll stand by you."

"But what if I lose myself completely and hurt all of you one day?" They talked as if it was so easy to forget one's past with others.

Drex dropped his gaze. I knew it…he couldn't answer.

"I have faith," he looked up, "that when that time comes, you'll do the right thing."

Drex…

"Sou sou! Bokutachi wa nakama deshyo? Dakara minna isshyo ni ganbatte, ishhyo ni susume! Ne? (Yup! We're all friends, right? So let's all strive hard and move forward)"

I laughed. She made it rhyme.

The maroon-haired girl smiled and the moody aura dissipated. "I'm gonna return her school bag, wanna come?"

"Nah, I don't wanna risk it."

"Aw, c'mon!"

I gave her a reluctant look.

The girl shrugged, "Fine. Suit yourself. I'll be back by 6. Adios!"

-End of POV-

-Granger residence-

"Hey Grampa! Mai up yet?" Tyson barged into the kitchen. The boys had just arrived home from school.

"Yeah, she's upstairs."

"Thanks!" He rushed up the stairs and found Mai sitting on her bed. "You're awake."

The girl nodded her head.

"How do you feel?"

"Like a paraplegic…" She blew at her fringe and looked at her legs. Okay, maybe she wasn't fully paralysed but it sure felt like it. Her legs were too weak that she'd end up crawling on the floor if she left the bed. And did she _want_ the guys to see her in such a pathetic state? Not when hell freezes over…

"Kino…nani ga atta? (What happened yesterday)" Rei sat the wrong way round on the chair with his chin resting on the backrest.

"Nani ka…" Mai didn't feel like talking about it, the truth had hurt badly enough, she didn't want to have to remind herself all over again. Moreover, if she told them Riya had assaulted her, they'd forbid her to see him and she didn't want that. She knew Riya was innocent. If anyone was to blame, it was Eden. "I got into a fight."

"Must've been some fight to have your uniform ripped," Tyson rolled his eyes. "Who'd you fight with? Wolves?"

Mai narrowed her eyes and replied sternly, "Jyodan janai yo. (I wasn't joking)"

"I know," he crossed his arms, "but you're still lying."

'Cheh.' They could see right through her. Had she lost her touch? Nevertheless, they were going to get the truth out of her sooner or later. She scanned their faces; neither of them took their eyes off her. They could go on like this forever if Mai wanted to play the keep-your-mouth-shut game. "I'll tell you on one condition, that you don't do anything about it."

"But what if it's serious?"

"You DON'T do anything about it," she silenced the blond boy.

"All right."

"Fine…"

Kai snorted at her stubbornness.

Mai twiddled her thumbs, "It wasn't his fault. He was innocent. Eden was the one controlling him."

"Just tell us what Riya did."

"It's not Riya! Riya did nothing wrong! Eden was the one who tried to kill me!" Mai asserted. Why were they pinning the blame on Riya? He was innocent! HE WAS INNOCENT!

"Riya _is _Eden," Max reminded.

"CHIGAU! (You're wrong!)" Mai didn't want to listen to what they had to say. She knew what they were going to say, that Riya was responsible for his own power and that it wasn't safe for her to be near him anymore. She didn't want all that crap. She wanted to hear something else, why couldn't she hear things her way for once? Something that didn't have to be justified by: 'It's for your protection.'

"But why did Eden want to kill you? Don't you have his other half?" Tyson questioned.

"Riyu wa wakaranai (I don't know the reason)," she lowered her head, "nani mo wakaranai… (I don't know what's going on)" There was no logic behind it, why _did_ Eden want to kill her? What had she done? Upset him? To get revenge? But for what? She hadn't done anything. It didn't matter if Eden was the one actually attacking her, all she could see and would see would be Riya doing it, Riya hurting her, Riya plunging the knife into her warm flesh, Riya…she'd only see Riya…and that hurt.

That hurt a lot…

She felt her chest compress, as if the emotion had come from behind her and grasped her heart, pulling, trying to tear it out…

"Hey."

His voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Kai opened his mouth—

"MAI! SOMEONE'S HERE TA SEE YOU!"

"DARE? (who)" Mai called back.

"Me," Copellia popped her head at the door and laughed. "I just dropped by to return your school bag." The girl raised her left hand, the black bag hung by her fingers. She walked into the room, nodded at the boys and sat on Mai's bed. "So, still shaken up by what happened yesterday?"

Mai leaned back in shock, "You know?"

"'course I know!" She slapped the girl's leg which made Mai cry out in pain; she ended up apologising profusely.

"So it's true then. Riya _did_ try to kill her," Rei said.

"Not really," Copellia's dismissed, "Eden was the one controlling him. He's feeling really guilty now, been sulking the whole morning." She turned to face Mai who looked pensive.

"But why did Eden try to kill me?" the girl finally questioned.

Copellia smiled weakly. They say the truth hurts and this one really did. She couldn't tell Mai that Eden saw her as competition and that last night Riya was planning to steal the jewels. Mai wouldn't believe a word of it. She knew Mai trusted Riya with all her heart that she'd bend reality just to see things her way. She'd return to Riya's side no matter what happens. But right now, neither Riya nor she could guarantee Mai's safety; not when Eden could manipulate Riya any time and any way he liked. "I don't know," she lied.

"Whaddya mean you don't know? You guys travel together!" Mai argued. "Tell me, Lia." She shook her friend's hand.

'I'm doing this for your own good, Mai.' Copellia would rather see a heart-broken Mai than a dead one. Heck! The former could at least move on with her life right? "I have to go, the guys are waiting. We're going out for dinner." She got up to leave but a hand grabbed her arm, holding her back.

"Just tell me," her blue orbs were begging, "please!"

The pony-tailed girl sighed and placed both hands on Mai's shoulders and in Zeelan she said, "Take good care of yourself, okay?" She gave a little squeeze and let go.

"Why are you telling me this? What're you guys planning to do?" Somehow it didn't feel right; it felt as if Copellia was saying goodbye.

"Ja mata," Copellia gave a casual wave and walked out of the room.

"Why can't you tell me? WHY?" But she walked on, clenching her fists to suppress the hurt she was feeling inside. It crushed her to see Mai suffer like this, to hear her shout desperately and pretend not to hear. It was like leaving your injured pet behind to die, its cries for help ringing in your ears. How anguishing it must be to know that its master, the only one it could depend on, wouldn't even offer a finger to save it…Copellia felt like that, like she had failed her duty as a friend.

"COPELLIA!"

"It's for your own good…" Copellia muttered under her breath as she stood outside the house, staring up at the open window, wishing she didn't have to do this… She turned her heel and plodded on the cold pavement.

"COPELLLLLIIIIAAAA!"

-Fast forward-

"I've been thinking…" the maroon-haired teenager spoke out of the blue. Riya tore his gaze from the television and looked at her. "…Maybe she shouldn't come with us." The boy sighed, reached for the remote and turned off the television. He stared blankly at the wall before him as he sat cross-legged on the bed, "So what now?"

"I mean—it's not like I don't want her to come with us it's just—Eden might—"

"That's not what I meant," Riya interrupted. "I meant Mit-chan. You know how she hates it that Mai's with them. There's no way she'll agree with us."

"Eh? So you're cool with it?" Copellia looked stunned.

Riya turned to look at her, "You think I'd risk it? Copellia, I'd do whatever it takes to keep her safe! Even if it means…" He turned his head away and mumbled, "even if it means breaking up."

"What?" Her eyes grew wider, "What did you say?"

"I thought about it. Ma—" But a hand grabbed his shirt. "NO! YOU DO NOT THINK ABOUT IT! DON'T EVER _EVER_ THINK ABOUT IT!" Copellia shouted exasperatedly in his face. Riya was taken aback by her sudden response but remembered she was still grasping his shirt "Let go…"

But the girl didn't budge, "Oh? So you're gonna explain yourself to me now? Save it, Riya Fujimori! You know how much she loves you! Why are you doing this to her? Did you ever think about how she would feel? Did you even consider the consequences? How could you—"

"YOU THINK I WANTED TO LET HER GO?" Riya shouted back, eyes brimming with tears. His chest heaved, Copellia had no right to shout at him when she had no idea what he was going through. As if he didn't want to be with Mai, as if he didn't want to get rid of Eden, as if he didn't want everything to go back to the way it was before! Everything just sucked right now!

"Then why? Why do this to her? Why not just stay far far away until everything's over and then get back together? WHY BREAK OFF THE ENGAGEMENT?" Copellia couldn't make sense of it all. Riya was so stupid! SO VERY VERY STUPID! She forcefully let go of Riya's shirt and stormed off to the other end of the room. 'You're an idiot, Riya. A BIG FAT IDIOT!'

"_Will_ everything go back to the way it was?"

'!' The rage on her face vanished as Riya's words seeped in. "Of—Of course it will!" she quickly replied, "Don't spout rubbish!" Even if she was a bit apprehensive, she couldn't waver on her stand, she was fighting for Mai here! And agreeing would mean Riya made sense, that he was right. Riya and Mai had been separated for a year! They DESERVED to be together! And now Riya was telling her that he wanted to break off the engagement? What the hell was wrong with the world? WHAT THE HELL WAS WRONG WITH HIM?

"How sure are you that everything will return to normal?" Riya stared her straight in the face. "What if something happens to me or her? I'd rather she find happiness sooner with someone else than with someone who may not even be around anymore…" Riya lowered his head and kept his eyes fixated on his legs. The problem lay in the future. If he only knew that everything was going to be all right then he'd still cling onto Mai. If only all the good endings he could think of outweighed the bad, he'd still have hope.

Copellia smacked her forehead and gave a frustrated sigh, "Don't do this, Riya, please. It's bad enough that we're keeping things from her. What's more call off the engagement?" She faced him with pleading eyes, "Please, I'm begging you! Don't do this to her."

Riya bit his lip in shame, 'I can't…I'm sorry but I just can't…' He wanted Mai to be happy. He'd give _anything_ to be with her if that made her happy. But it was impossible…Even if Eden was gone, what would happen to him? And her? He just didn't know anymore…he didn't know. The boy got off the bed, Copellia would make him shrivel up with guilt till he disappeared if he didn't get out of there soon. He needed space, time to think.

"Where do you think you're going? Don't you dare break the news to her tonight!"

'Tonight huh?' Copellia had given him the idea. But no, he wasn't going to do it. He placed his hand on the door knob, "She couldn't tell the difference, you know? Between Eden and me…" With that, he left to wander the city. Hopefully, some insane beggar would stab him in the back without warning so that he could die, because that was what he really wanted right now…

What good was it to live a life where you couldn't keep what was precious to you?


	22. Midnight Showdown

Chapter 59------Midnight Showdown

"Yuki…" Kai stared out at Tyson's backyard: the evergreen bonsai tree stood out against the blatant white as the snow fell to the ground. It didn't snow much in Tokyo like it did in Russia, it rained most of the time but occasionally the snow flakes would fall softly on peoples' heads; just like it did today. But one thing's for sure, Kai hated the snow. It brought back too many painful memories…

-Flashback-

_Running; running through the snow which went up to our knees. And then you fell…_

_I turned around and saw you lying in the snow. _

_Tala!_

_I ran back to help you but saw them coming, shouting for us, carrying guns…They reached you first and I couldn't do a thing. I wanted to save you…but I had to save myself._

_You shouted my name but I couldn't come…I couldn't come…I ran ahead, turning back to see you clawing the ground…shouting my name_

_Kai! KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!_

-End of flashback-

"Dooshite?" A touch on the shoulder made him jerk. "You looked dazed." Kai looked up to see Mai, her black hoody wrapped snugly around her shoulders. She looked at him intently, waiting for an answer.

"Nothing…" He got up from the corridor and walked inside—"You're not going in?" Mai sat in the same spot that Kai had occupied, her back was turned and there came no reply.

"H—"

"Let me stay a little while longer," the girl mumbled.

'What? She…' Kai noticed that there was a tinge of sorrow to her voice. What was wrong? He wanted to know, but he also knew he couldn't intrude into her personal life. "You'll catch a cold," he made it seemed like he didn't care and went inside the house. Mai's lips moved, 'Kankenai yo…(I don't care)' The two-toned blue haired boy watched her from the living room, "Pfft…" He decided to let her be. She was weird after all, and he could do more productive things than this on a Saturday. Kai got off the sofa and prepared to go upstairs when— "Ah! Kai!"

The boy halted, cursing his rotten luck if he had to do another batch of laundry. "Could ya do a lil' grocery shoppin' fer me? I've asked the lil' dude to go with you."

'Tyson?' Kai's face twitched. But seeing how the old man worked so had to look after them, it was the least he could do to return the favour. He nodded once. "Na, tanomu zou! (I'll leave it up to you)" Grampa G handed him a purse and a long list of things before hurrying off to who knows where in the house. Kai glanced at the list. His pupils widened.

"Let's go, dumb-dumb. Or are you gonna stand there all morning?" Tyson appeared at the foot of the stairs wearing a dark blue pullover and faded jeans. "Shut up!" Kai snapped. He was kind enough to agree to go with Tyson, so the bluenette better not push his luck.

-Fast forward-

"Why couldn't _you_ carry the milk?"

"Shut your trap and walk," Kai rebuked. He heard Tyson mutter to himself but kept quiet after that. The two walked the familiar path back home, the heavy bags knocking against their legs. Suddenly, something shot out of nowhere and stabbed the wall, almost missing Kai. 'What the—!' He dropped the bags and scanned his surroundings.

"KOCHI YO! (Over here)"

The voice sounded from above but where? "Kai! Soko da!" Kai's eyes followed the direction of Tyson's pointed finger. Across them, a figure stood on a branch, a grin plastered on his face. "You!"

"Yo!(Hey)" Riya's grin widened as he looked down at them. "Read the note," he cocked his head to the wall, "I'm looking forward to tonight!" He leapt off the branch and onto the nearest roof and then disappeared from sight.

"What's he trying to do? KILL US?" Kai ignored Tyson's protests as he pulled out the arrow. His fingers untied the note and opened it:

_**Meet us at the park tonight at  
**_**_11pm. Don't bring Mai along  
_**_**unless you want her to get  
**_**_hurt. This is your last chance,  
_****_otherwise we're taking her away._**

'Last chance?' Kai knitted his brows, what kind of crazy joke was this? Tyson peered over his shoulder to read, "Are they challenging us?" "Looks like it," the boy replied tersely and crushed the note between his fingers. "Should we tell the rest?" Kai didn't answer but picked up his bags and carried on walking. 'Like I'd let them take Mai. Hmph.'

That night…

"Oishii! Tottemo oishii!" Mai placed another chopstick full of okonomiyaki (it's a kind of omelette pancake with toppings) in her mouth, merrily chewing the squid and green peppers. "Saa, motto tabette yo. (Here, eat more)" Tyson dumped another freshly cooked okonomiyaki on her plate. Mai raised a brow at this. Tyson NEVER gave up his food. "What's going on?"

"Nothing!" Max forced a laugh, "You need to eat more." He flashed an overdone smile. Mai wasn't too convinced but oh well, good food was enough to keep her quiet for the time being. 'Phew…' Max heaved a mental sigh of relief. 'What a stupid plan!'

-Flashback-

"How about sleeping pills?"

Everyone but Rei violently shook their heads. "Haha, okay. Perhaps that's going a bit overboard," the neko-jin smiled sheepishly.

"I know! We'll cook her favourite food for dinner! That way she'll eat a lot then get sleepy!"

Max gave him a stoned look, "Sounds like something that would work on you…"

"Trust me. It'll work!" Tyson nodded determinedly.

-End of flashback-

"Whoa…it really _did_ work." The boys gawked at Mai. She was sleeping like a baby, grasping the tip of her blanket. It felt strange to be watching a girl this close sleep. Come to think of it, it had been a long time since they had scrutinised the girl's features. Her nostrils flared slightly with every breath she exhaled and her skin had a light tan. But the most distinguishing feature was her eyes: almond-shaped with a deep mesmerising blue iris and dark pupils laden with emotion and soul. That was the first thing they noticed when they found her. She was tattered and scruffy, but her eyes shone like dew in the morning light, you couldn't help but to stop and take notice. Too bad they were closed now…

"Satteto, ikimasu ka? (Shall we go?)" Rei straightened up and cracked his neck. The rest stood up.

"Mai, bokutachi wa mo sugu kaeru ne? Yukkuri nemurinasai. (We'll be back soon okay? Sleep well.)"

"Max."

The blond hurried to join his friends at the door. What business team Freedom had with them at this hour they didn't know, but they were soon going to find out.

The Bladebreakers reached the park at a quarter to eleven. They hung around the playground, listening, waiting for their rivals to show up. The park echoed with the sounds of the night. The faint howling of the wind ran through the bare and bony branches, swiping at any leaves which still clung desperately onto the trees, cutting off their only life source. The lamps emitted a soft glow, which did nothing to warm the frosty air. Everything was empty and uneasily silent; so much for the park at night.

"Kitta ne! (You came!)" A voice rang into the night. The boys perked up and looked around, they couldn't see who it belonged to but they knew they were not alone. Shadows flitted in and out of the nearby trees, twigs snapped, and even the lamps seemed to dim a little, the atmosphere was starting to get a bit creepy. "De te koi! (Come out and show yourselves!)" Kai shouted. He was in no mood to play games. If Riya had called them out for some trick-or-treat crap, then he'd make sure this would be a night Riya would never forget.

"Mai wa sounnani taisetsu ka? (Is Mai that precious to you?)"

The Bladebreakers spun around. There, standing on top of the monkey bars, was team Freedom. The foursome leapt off the bars and landed a few feet in front of the Bladebreakers. Now they were all on level ground. "I asked you a question, is Mai that precious to you?"

'Riya…' Copellia looked at her leader and wondered if this was the right thing to do…

-Flashback-

"We WHAT?"

"It's the only way Mit-chan and Drex will accept it."

"But-But!"

"_You_ said she couldn't come with us, _you_ told me to stay far far away until everything was over."

"B-BUT!" Copellia tried to speak.

"Everything was your idea," Riya looked at her. The maroon-haired girl's jaw went slack, "MY IDEA?" Which dimension did _that_ come from? "Don't try and pin the blame on me, Riya! You planned everything without telling me!"

"It was a mutual agreement," he shrugged his shoulders. 'Mutual agreement? MUTUAL AGREEMENT?' Copellia wanted to wring this guy's neck and feed it to the dogs.

"So you're just gonna leave Mai in the dark without knowing why you left? YOU'RE NOT EVEN GONNA SAY GOODBYE?"

Riya sighed, it was hard to explain everything to her, not to mention hard on himself for making such a difficult decision. "All I want is for her to be safe…and I've already made up my mind." He met her gaze, "You said you would follow me no matter what happens. Well, this is my decision."

Copellia's eyes wavered, she didn't know if she should cry, laugh or get angry. It all seemed pointless. She couldn't shake his decision either way, the boy was adamant. "Fine…I'll do what you want."

The girl lowered her voice to a sterner note, "But if you hurt Mai, I'll never forgive you."

-End of flashback-

"Mai wa bokutachi taisetsuna otomodachi. Sore wa dooshita? (Mai's our precious friend. What's wrong with that?)" Tyson answered.

Riya smiled to himself, 'I just wanted to know.' "We'll settle this in a best two out of three match! Winner gets to keep Mai!"

"Why can't you let Mai decide for herself who she wants to stick with?" Rei argued.

"Heh, you guys should be grateful! We planned on taking her away but Riya decided to give you a chance. We're being very fair." Mit-chan's eyes narrowed into a sinister glare. She loathed these people, these Humans. Why did Mai have to stick with them? They were totally different from her! Mai belonged with the elite, the four chosen tribes. Humans were just the leftovers, the scum of the Earth.

Kai returned her glare. This girl had some nerve insulting them, but he kept his cool. He'd show them what it really meant to be 'fair'.

"So what will it be? Do you accept our challenge?"

The Bladebreakers whipped out their blades, "Need we say more?"

For some reason the wind kicked up and the air around them grew chilly as both teams prepared for the battle. And where you ask was the beydish? Why, the whole park of course! Riya knew the confinements of a beystadium were not enough to contain such power. Tonight's battle was going to be extreme and the bit-beasts needed all the space they could get. Tyson was up against Mit-chan in the first round. The two bladers took their positions across each other, beyblades fitted and ready to launch.

"Are you sure about this? Mit-chan doesn't take defeat very nicely…"

"Don't worry. She won't lose so easily." Riya reassured Copellia. "Ready? THREE TWO ONE LET IT RIP!"

Both blades landed on the hard ground, immediately charging for each other. Tyson recalled what Mai had said a long time ago, that Mit-chan was more on the impulsive, quick-thinking side. A dangerous combination if she could pull it off. He watched as Dragoon swerved out of the pale-yellow blade's line of attack, shooting across the floor to a safer distance. "Nigasanai! (You're not getting away)" Mit-chan's blade chased after Dragoon, ramming against it, sending it slamming into the slide. "Dragoon!" The white blade bounced on the floor but somehow managed to stay spinning. Mit-chan clucked her tongue in dissatisfaction, the white beyblade didn't seem at all fazed by her attack. Her beyblade charged at Dragoon again, but this time Tyson's beyblade darted to the side fast enough to dodge the hit. 'It's pretty fast,' a smirk played on Mit-chan's lips, 'but not as fast as mine!' "LET'S GO MINURA!"

'!'

In a flash, the pale-yellow blade appeared next to Dragoon and tackled it. "What the—!" Tyson was flabbergasted. Minura was—then it—over there—HOW?

"It disappeared!" Max exclaimed.

"No," Rei corrected, "Minura's moving at an extremely fast speed. Probably even as fast as light!"

"Light? Then Tyson can't—!"

"That's right. Then again, Tyson might enjoy the challenge." Rei turned and smiled at Max who returned the friendly gesture.

Minura was no where in sight, reappearing only to inflict more damage on Dragoon. It was teasing Dragoon with swift and light attacks. However, Tyson knew that a little amounted to a lot in the long-run and he'd better do something quick before Dragoon became too exhausted. The boy looked out for the tiny sparks that appeared every once in a while, hoping to pinpoint Minura's next location. The yellow blade was moving so fast that the electrons in the air were rubbing off its surface, generating static.

-Zap!-

-Zrrr!-

-Zap!-

'C'mon c'mon! Where's it gonna pop up next?' His eyes frantically searched the area, if only he could slow down her blade! 'That's it! Slow down her beyblade!' "DRAGOON! GALAXY STORM ATTACK!" The blue dragoon shot into the sky and disappeared. Seconds later, the clouds above began to spiral, the wind started to race and the trees shook violently around them.

It was coming!

Loud rumbling filled their ears as the tornado grew bigger and bigger. Not one, but THREE tornadoes touched down on the ground, scarring the land as they raced towards Minura. The yellow beyblade darted ahead, trying to avoid the sucking force of the tornadoes. But the wind was too strong, Minura was losing speed! Mit-chan furrowed her brows as she watched her beyblade get sucked into the whirlwind. No, it couldn't be over, not like this! "MINURA!"

Mit-chan's blade glowed white, sending jolts of electricity in every direction. Bit by bit the tornado began to diminish while Minura seemed to get stronger. Everyone watched in confusion, Minura wasn't even fighting back so how could it—?

"LOOKS LIKE YOUR DRAGOON'S GETTING WEAKER!" Mit-chan yelled over the raging wind.

"Huh?" Tyson listened up.

"Chikara wa," Mit-chan broke into a wolfish grin, "arigatou ne! (Thanks for the re-charge!) MINURA! ETERNIIIAAAA!" A beam of golden light blasted forth from her beyblade. A howl erupted into the night as the light fanned out to reveal a cream-coloured dog. It had a long horn on its forehead and a flowing brown mane which ran down its back to the tip of its tail. Electric sparks sizzled around its horn as it looked skyward and let out a haunting howl. The sky suddenly darkened, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled like heavy chains being dragged across the floor.

'Arashi? (A storm)' Kai dropped his gaze from the sky to Mit-chan. The girl definitely had something up her sleeve.

Once again, Minura vanished but this time whenever it reappeared, a bolt of lightning would crash down to Earth, frying anything that stood in its way. It was like a quick-attack, and it was heading straight for Dragoon!

-Zrrr!-

-Zap!-

In a fraction of a second, in just a fraction of a second Minura had reached its target. The white beyblade received the full 5000 volts, but it didn't mean Tyson escaped unscathed. "ARRRRRRGGGGHHHHH!"

"TYSON!"

His team mates watched in horror as the boy fell to his knees. Drex was good but they never expected the younger of the Dureinne siblings to pack such a punch. Mit-chan could turn out to be an even stronger opponent than her brother!

The rain pelted down on the boy as he steadied himself. His clothes were tattered and a little smoke wafted from his body as the rain cooled off the heat. But through the worn-out appearance, Tyson still managed to put on a smile. '! He's…smiling?' Mit-chan couldn't believe it, after all that, after 5000 volts! He could still smile? WAS HE FOR REAL? She heard him chuckle, "Why are you laughing? You're supposed to hate it!"

"Haha, hate it?" Tyson lifted his face to look at her, "I love it! You're such an amazing blader! Its knowing that people like you exist in this world that makes beyblading ten times—no, a HUNDRED times more interesting! I feel that if my opponent is battling so hard then it's only fair that I give it my all as well. That's why, I'm not gonna hold back. I'm gonna give you everything I've got."

Mit-chan took a moment to analyse his words. This guy…How could this guy have so much confidence in his opponent? He trusted her despite the fact that she was the enemy… '!' Could this be the reason why Tyson was so strong? Mit-chan shook her head, 'No! This battle is for Mai, there's no way I'll let them have her!'

Riya watched his friend's hesitation, "That's why she can't win," Copellia turned to look at him, "because Tyson has the power to change his opponents. To make them realise something they never knew before." The rain trickled down his half-hearted smile, "Perhaps if I had battled him sooner, things wouldn't have turned out this way."

"Riya…"

Both bit-beasts were locked in a staring competition. Neither flinched, for their next move would mean an attack. 'I'll make you wipe that smile off your face!' "MINURA! ATAAACCCKKK!" The dog lunged at the massive reptile, locking its jaws onto Dragoon's armour. It blasted Dragoon with another 5000 volts before leaping off him. Dragoon shook off the after-effect and swiped a claw at Minura, barely grazing its fur. But what Tyson lacked in speed, he made up for in force. "DRAGOON STORM ATAAACCK!" A spiralling tower of wind shot like an arrow through the air, hitting Minura at full force. Mit-chan skidded on the now muddy ground. Again Dragoon attacked, sending shock waves rippling through the area. The girl had her arms crossed above her head, trying to minimise the blow as every wave sent her retreating further back. "Jikkushyo! Aitsu wa, naze konnani tsuyoi? (Damn it! Why is he so strong?)"

"MIT-CHAN! SHIKKARISHITE! (Hang in there)" Copellia shouted.

"Wakatta yo...!" the girl replied through gritted teeth. She pushed forward, step by step against the reverberating waves. "I'll never…LET YOU HAVE MAI!"

'!' For a second there, Kai thought he was watching himself battle. Mit-chan had so much fortitude, so much that she wanted to prove, so much that she wanted to hold on to. Her willpower was so great because she wanted to gain something, something that was precious to her. And then he realised it. Was Mai that precious to him too?

"GO DRAGOOON!"

Both blades charged straight for each other with blue and yellow lights trailing behind them. The lights collided and erupted into a spectrum of white light which spread out through the park, rendering everyone blind. Rei coughed as the dust got caught in his throat. He struggled to open his eyes against the diminishing bright light…

-Granger residence-

The soft pounding of the rain against the window made the girl stir in her bed. Mai lifted a lazy eye, "Ame…ka?" The misty glow outside the window confirmed her doubt. She sat up groggily and looked around. Where were the boys?

-Back to the park-

It pounded on her body, heavy and hard, as she stood there standing; the impact of defeat.

Tyson's shoes squelched to the rhythm of the rain as he picked up his beyblade. He turned to face Riya, "That's one win for us!" The brown-haired boy nodded in acknowledgment. No use blowing his own trumpet when he had nothing to show for it, he'd keep his comments to himself, no matter how nasty.

"Mit-chan!" Copellia ran to her friend's side. "Mit-chan." she rubbed the girl's shoulders, "Are you all right? It's oka—" But the words got caught in her mouth when she saw the expression on the girl's countenance. It was raining heavily, but not enough to conceal her tears; tears of anger and disappointment. "Jikkushyo... moshi watashi…motto ganbarimasu kara…Mai wa… (Damn it…If only I had tried harder…Mai would…Mai would…)" The look on Mit-chan's face caused Copellia's heart to ache. "Jikkushyo!"

'Te me…Riya!' If this was his plan…to hurt everyone…then she wouldn't stand for it. Copellia marched up to him and held a finger inches away from his face, "I told you, if you hurt my friends I'm _not_ going to forgive you." She narrowed her eyes, "You better make them pay in the next round." Riya kept his composure even under threat from his own kind. Mit-chan's lost was a sacrifice that had to be made. It was all part of the plan. He stepped aside and advance towards the Bladebreakers.

"One of you will battle me in the next round…Prepare yourselves." With that, the boy walked away from the group, knowing quite well who they would send out next.

"We're going up against Riya? But that's a sure loss for us! He's got Eden!" Max argued. This battle was totally unfair!

Kai didn't seem at all surprised. He expected them to fight back. Perhaps, everything would end in their favour since they had Eden. Then what was the purpose of this battle? To show-off? They just wanted to bring them down, didn't they? To see who was more superior in one big hell-of-a defeat. The boy sneered at the thought.

-Granger residence-

"GRAMPA G! GRAMPA G!" Mai pounded on the door. Something was definitely up. The boys were missing and she had been locked in. But what on earth for? "PLEASE GRAMPA G! LET ME OUT!" Outside, the old man stood in silence as the door rattled before him. He couldn't let her out until the crack of dawn. The boys had entrusted this responsibility to him and he planned on keeping his word. Besides, everything was for a good cause: to protect her. After a while, the banging stopped and Grampa G was able to relieve a bit of his guilt, 'So she finally gave up huh?' But unknown to him, the rain was drenching the curtains…

…through the open window.

-Park-

Kai fitted his beyblade onto his launcher and stood at a ready stance. He was fully aware of what he was up against, but could he handle such power? Eden certainly wasn't going to be a walk in the park. But if there was a chance he could win, the victory would be as sweet as honey.

"You ready?"

"Yeah," Kai replied. 'Let's win this, Dranzer.'

The two boys faced-off each other. This match may not reveal who the winner was, but it was going to be the deciding factor…

…Of who got to keep Mai's heart.

Blu: Aww, ain't that sweet? But for some reason it makes me cringe haha. Oh well, I'm not gonna let Kai turn into some softy :P


	23. In the Rain

Hey everyone! Sorry i haven't updated in a reaaaaallly long time. I've been terribly busy and i had writer's block (need to read more story books and watch more anime) but I've lengthened the chapter to make it up to you guys. Hope you like it! As for the next update, hopefully i have the time but i'll try my best :)

Chapter 60------In the Rain

"Riya? Riya open up!" Mai rang the doorbell several times. When there was no answer, she proceeded to try Drex's room but got the same response, which was…well…no response. 'Where could they be at this hour?' Mai was getting frustrated. Everyone seemed to be keeping things from her. Was she the only person who didn't deserve to know what the hell was going on? The boys had run off, Riya and the rest weren't around, 'Wait!' The girl put two and two together, 'what if—?'

Mai headed for the lift, the search had just got more urgent. 'Those two only get together for one reason.' She had to find them and find them quick, before one party gets hurt.

-Park-

The thunder rumbled overhead and the rain beat harder on the teenagers' heads as they watched with bated breath. It was about to start.

"3!" Riya fitted his beyblade onto his launcher.

"2!"

"1!"

"LET IT RRRIIIIIPPPP!" Both boys shouted in unison and pulled their ripcords. Their beyblades landed on the ground, spurting rainwater as they zigzagged through the puddles. Dranzer and Alzea collided in one big bang that sent Riya and Kai's feet sliding backwards. –BANG! - Again the shockwaves rippled, shaking the trees and hitting the rest like a blast of loud music from a speaker. –BANG! - Everyone turned away as another round of shockwaves hit them.

'If this goes on any longer…I'm gonna have a mega headache!" Max shielded his face as the wave hit him, fluffing up his hair as it ran through the golden locks.

Kai knew they had to stop tackling each other. The impact of the shockwaves would be enough to wear them out if it carried on for too long. "Dranzer, evade!" The dark blue beyblade sped to the farthest end of the playground with Alzea hot on its heels. Dranzer continued its evasive manoeuvres, trying its best to avoid even the slightest scrape by Alzea. They raced between the lamp posts, up the see-saw and down the other side.

"Tsk!" Riya was starting to get very annoyed. He had heard great things about Kai, about how he could destroy his opponents in one fell swoop. But all Kai was doing now was running away! The damn guy was a coward! "Time to stop playing games…ALZEA! GREY WIND!" The green phoenix shot out of Riya's beyblade and soared high into the sky, extending its brilliant wings to maximum length. It enclosed its feathery arms around its body, giving off a pale-green radiance. Instantaneously, a clone formed and both birds swooped down for the inevitable attack against an unsuspecting Dranzer. The light blue blades rammed against Dranzer, locking it between them and drilling at its attack ring like a buffing machine.

'Dranzer!'

When Dranzer turned right, Riya's blades turned right. When Dranzer turned left, they'd turn left as well. Or more likely…it was Alzea that was controlling Dranzer's movement!

"GET OUT OF THERE!" Kai yelled.

Riya smirked, "As you wish." The light blue blades dispersed and stood spinning in line with Dranzer. 'What? He's not attacking?' Kai gritted his teeth. Riya was making him look like a fool. The boy knew when to attack and when to hold back, he was making Kai look like an inexperienced hot-head. And then it struck him. 'Riya knows everything… He already knows everything about this battle! That's why he can afford to control himself! That's why he can battle as he likes without having to worry about his opponent! Because…because he knows he'll definitely win!'

"Shit…" Kai muttered under his breath. Riya read him perfectly. If he changed his battle strategy, would Riya see that coming too? "Shit…." He cursed again. What a predicament he was in.

By now, Dranzer was being treated like a pinball being knocked and jostled about by Alzea and its clone. "What is he DOING? KAI! STOP FOOLING AROUND!" Tyson shouted angrily. "I KNOW THAT!" the Russian snapped. So now his team mates didn't think he was doing his best? Pfft! But Kai knew he had to try, no matter what, he had to make himself unpredictable. Even if it meant…using _that_.

"ALZEA!"

The green phoenix swiped at Dranzer with its sharp talons, ripping out some feathers in the process. Kai took every blow and fell to the muddy floor. Despite the bruises and rips in his garment, he'd endure all the pain and humiliation. For nothing, nothing was going to prepare Riya for what he was about to do next.

The boy stood up shakily. No surprise there, Riya knew he wouldn't give in so easily. It was better this way, now he could have more fun with him. Alzea charged in for another attack, unwilling to give its opponent any time to recover. But Dranzer, despite its losing streak, managed to dodge it skilfully. This didn't go unnoticed and Riya shot a look at Kai, 'That guy…'

'That guy' was just standing there, eyes shaded by his wet bangs. He neither moved, not even a flex of his finger, nor paid any attention to the battle. Something was different. The Kai now…was not the Kai before. Riya braced himself. The _real_ battle was about to begin.

"I'll show you…" a red aura shone around Kai, 'the _real_ me.' His gaze penetrated through his fringe and shot at Riya like an arrow through the heart. "DRAAANZEERR!" Red and yellow streams of energy pierced through the storm clouds with Dranzer soaring high into the air. "FLAME GENESIIISSSS!" With a shrill cry, a blast of flames rained down on the beybladers below…

-Wherever Mai is-

Mai made her way to the top of the tower. She was wet and cold and her shoes were drenching the carpet but she didn't care if anybody stopped her. Hell, she'd push anybody who stood in her way. The window! She had to get to the window!

Mai pressed herself against the cold glass and stared out at the vast urban skyline. 'WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?' She chewed her lip in desperation. Somewhere, a battle was being fought. Somewhere, someone was getting hurt. Somewhere, something terrible could happen… She banged a fist on the glass, "Where ARE you?" Her eyes searched every part of the city, from the forest of buildings, to the harbour, the quiet residential areas to the—and that's when she saw it. Not too far from where she was, something shot up in the air: an orange light, one that most probably belonged to a bit-beast.

She bolted for the lift.

'GUYS!'

'RIYA!'

-Back to the park-

Blazing red feathers plunged to the ground, stabbing the earth. No one was spared from the cloud of raging fire that fell from the sky, not even the Bladebreakers themselves. The orange monster engulfed the whole area, spreading to the edge of the forest where its fiery tongue lapped at the barren trees. The fire ignited everything that stood in its path and not even the rain could subdue its persistent embers.

"RIYA!" Drex shouted through the chaos. Amidst the flames, he managed to keep one eye open to survey the situation, which didn't look all too good at the moment. Everywhere, the fires burned and everyone hacked terribly on the thick smoke which cloaked their bodies. He stumbled his way around, shouting, calling out for his friend "RIYAA!"

And then a tiny voice wove through the clamorous inferno and instantly the fire was gone! Everything had been thrown into the way it was before, as though Dranzer's attack had never happened at all.

Kai stood as stiff as a rabbit caught in headlights, looking as perplexed as hell. The fire! Where had the fire gone? It'd seemed like a minute of illusion…He blinked hard and refocused his vision, 'No! It can't be! I swear I summoned the attack!' But his eyes were not deceiving him: it was still raining, the trees were still standing and a few metres away the beyblades stood spinning. Further back Copellia was comforting Mit-chan and the Bladebreakers were…

The pitter-patter of the rain filled his ears.

It was still raining…

Still raining……

Sti—

A jolt of pain exploded in his head. Kai cried out in agony and collapsed on his hands, squeezing his eyes shut in futile attempts to ameliorate the pain. Drop by drop, the rain fell, blooming into tiny crystal flowers as it smashed onto the ground. But among them, a red flower appeared. Slowly, another bloomed, then another. And then two more!

The boy felt a warm sensation slithering down his shoulder and cautiously opened his eyes. The red on the ground reflected the red in his eyes and he came to a horrifying conclusion. Timidly, he lifted a hand to touch his shoulder. His palm was painted red, redder than the Grand Canyon, redder than roses, redder than anything he had ever seen in his life— the garish metallic colour of his own blood.

"_You lose_," an unfamiliar voice came from behind.

And suddenly he could hear everything! The frantic shouts coming from his friends, the rumbling of the thunder, the howling of the wind, the pounding in his head…

"KAAI!"

"KAI!" Tyson twisted in his captor's grip, "KAI!"

But Drex, Copellia and Mit-chan held them back. There was no way to help him now. He was a lost cause. Eden had gotten to him. It was too late…

Eden stood behind his fallen opponent, watching, waiting; like how a black widow waits for its prey to succumb to the poison…and then die. He broke into a devilish grin seeing how he so easily triumphed over these filthy creatures. Once they held his fate in their hands, but not anymore. Not. Any. More. "_Weaklings_," Eden sneered and turned around to walk away. His job was done here.

Just a few feet away, the sound of rubber soles grinding against soil made him stop in his tracks. His smile glinted in the darkness.

"It's…not over yet."

Kai struggled to stand up, his right hand squeezing his injured shoulder to stop the bleeding. "Our blades are still spinning," he spoke through clenched teeth as though it hurt enough to even utter a word. "It's not over yet."

"Kai…" The Bladebreakers watched as their friend staggered forward. It was unbelievable that Kai could still stand after that attack but challenging Eden again? How lucky can one guy get? He was asking for a death wish! But none of them said anything. They knew Kai; the guy could push his limit's limits!

Eden cocked his head back, revealing his devious smile, "_You want to die that badly?_" Kai stared back with fierce red eyes. Eden took his time to return to the battleground, hopefully his lack of urgency would quicken the pest's demise but unfortunately for him, Kai still stood as sturdy as a rock. He had to admit, the guy had courage. The foolish kind of course.

The Russian's red orbs remained unwavering despite the danger looming before him. Eden narrowed his eyes at this; Kai showed no trace of fear or trepidation. Why wasn't he intimidated? Why wasn't he cowering in fear? WHY? "_Sono me wa kirai da (I don't like those eyes,_" Eden spat. Kai still held his gaze, mentally numbing himself of the pain that stung his shoulder. Eden's patience was growing thin. It was no fun toying with prey that refused to fight back, especially one showing him a dirty attitude. He'd make this one slow and painful…

The brunette shut his eyes, taking in a long breath and exhaling gradually. He concentrated on drawing out the power within, the power coursing through his veins. He'd condense it into one final attack, one attack that would blow them away…

…One attack that would end _everything_.

Kai and the rest watched as a white light framed Riya's body. "Run," Drex said sharply as he tugged on Rei's arm.

"Why?"

"We have to get out of here, NOW!" He stressed with urgency in his voice.

"But—KAI!" Tyson exchanged quick glances between his team mate and Drex. "IF WE DON'T WE'LL GET BLOWN TO BITS!" Drex shouted exasperatedly. His life, no, EVERYONE'S lives were at stake here! "There's no way I'm leaving Kai!" Tyson tore his arm out of Copellia's hold and raced towards his injured friend.

"TYSON!"

"_Jamada. (Don't' interfere)_" Eden shot out a hand and immediately, Tyson slammed into a barrier. 'WHAT?' He pounded against the invisible glass, "KAI! –pound pound pound- GET OUTTA THERE! –pound- KAAII!"

Kai didn't turn a deaf ear to his friend. He could hear it, the desperation and concern in Tyson's voice. He knew very well what was going to happen to him. But…

"Go." His heavy tone hung in the air.

'!' Were his ears deceiving him? Kai couldn't have said… "DON'T BE A HERO! GET OUTTA THERE NOW YOU IDIOT! –pound pound-"

"HAIYAKU NIGENASAI! (Get out of here now!)" Kai snarled.

"Demo—!" Tyson's palm slid against the barrier; then formed into a fist as anger came over him, "–pound- WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO SELFISH? SO WHAT IF YOU DON'T CARE IF YOU DIE, OTHER PEOPLE CARE DAMMIT! _WE_ CARE!"

'_We_ care?' The images of Rei, Max, Tyson, Grampa, Mai and everyone whom he had met in his lifetime flashed in his head…He knew without a doubt that they cared, but…"This is my battle. If I give up now," Kai looked up at the forlorn sky and closed his eyes for a brief moment, letting the rain hit his face, "I'll lose more than this battle."

Tyson still wore a frantic expression but ceased banging his fists. Slowly, but reluctantly, he understood what Kai meant. "Promise you won't die?" It was probably too much for him to hope for but please, let there be a possibility.

Eden broke into a smirk, "_Too late for that. ALZZEEAA! BLACK CARNAGE!_"

Alzea's transformation began: its wings shifted to its back, turning a soft white while its bird-like face moulded into human features with flowing jet-black hair. The new form was clothed in milky-white attire as he brandished a silver blade in his right hand. Alzea whizzed through the air with the shiny tip of the blade aimed straight at Dranzer. The red phoenix flapped its wings, generating a gust of wind which propelled him higher up into the sky to—Too late!

"ARRGGGH!"

The pain was palpable although he wasn't the one impaled. It felt as though his left shoulder had burst open and Kai squeezed it tighter, sending another trail of fresh blood running down his arm. He glared at the aerial battle with indignation; he'd pay Eden back double for this! "DRANZER! BLAZING GIGS ATAAACCK!"

The bird flapped its injured wing limply but nonetheless, managed to conjure up a stream of fire. The flaming snake coiled around Alzea, binding its feet, twirling up its body, restraining its arms and roping around its neck like a python. The angel struggled, forcing it limbs against the restraining force.

"FLAME GENESIS!"

Once again, dagger-like feathers shot at the immobilised Alzea, turning it into a flaming angel. A small sigh escaped his lips as Kai watched the sight. At last, at last he could turn this battle around. But sooner said than done, Alzea had managed to break out of its fiery entrapment and now reigned over the skies. It swooped down and slammed into Dranzer, sending him crashing into the trees below. Kai fell on one knee, head still held high to observe the battle despite his aching body. Eden wiped a bead of sweat with the back of his hand, "_Heh. Didn't I tell you? You LOSE._"

White spear-shaped lights began to materialise behind Alzea, multiplying every second into vast numbers that it began to look like a glaring canvas. Kai's eyes widened, 'No!'

"_Go._" Alzea shot out a hand, sending the lights racing towards the lives below.

A blinding light fell upon them. Some closed their eyes, others watched in silent horror as their end drew nearer—

"YAAAAAAMEEETEEEEEEE! (Stoooooopp!)"

'!'

The white cracked into a million pieces.

The lights stopped dead in their tracks and clattered on the floor like a hundred needles.

"MOU YAMETE! (That's enough!)" She stood panting heavily, arms outstretched in front of her captain.

'Mai!' Riya's eyes reverted back to its normal shade of purple. He lost his balance for a while as fatigue took its toll but managed to stay on his feet. Meanwhile, Mai rushed to tend to Kai's wound. She took the scarf off his neck and bound it tightly around his shoulder. The blood seeped through the layers of cloth and Mai knew it wouldn't do. Kai had to get proper help.

"Why'd you come?"

The girl didn't answer, nor did she meet his gaze. Inside she wanted to scream at all of them for doing something so incredibly stupid but she channelled that rage into tightening the knot on Kai's make-shift bandage. He winced and took that as her answer.

"Mai…" Riya took a step forward. She spun her head around and glowered at him. "Mai, I…"

Mai stood up and walked towards him, "Urusenai. (Unforgivable)"

"But Eden, he—!"

'!'

A hand ran across the side of his face.

"Who _are_ you?" Her voice quivered with anger. She could no longer recognise the person standing in front of her. Where were those kind eyes? That gentle smile? Where? WHERE? "KOTAE! (Answer me!)" She couldn't stand it anymore! There were so many questions left unanswered, so many truths left untold! Why were they hiding things from her? Why didn't she deserve to know anything? Even the people she cared about were fooling around with her! She didn't know anything anymore! Pretty soon she might find out that she was living a big fat lie!

"It really wasn't his fault. He can't control Eden!" Copellia desperately tried to intervene but Mai grabbed hold of Riya's shirt, "ANATA WA DARE? RIYA WA KAISHITE! KAISHITE! (Who are you? Give me back Riya!)"

"MAI!" Drex firmly took hold of her arm but she continued to hit her fiancé with her free hand. And he let her. For all that he had done, even if it wasn't entirely his fault, she had every right to be angry with him. For she no longer saw him as Riya, but the reflection of the monster within him…

Riya clasped her wrists, "Yose. (Stop it)" His voice was dearth of emotion. But the girl continued her childish tantrums. "RIYA WA AITAI! KARE WA KAISHITE! (I want to see Riya. Bring him back) KAISHIT—!"

"KARE WA MO INAI! (He's already gone)"

'!' Mai froze. Riya was gripping her wrists so tightly that she could feel them shaking.

A dark shadow draped over his eyes, revealing only the pallid complexion of the lower part of his face. He spoke through thin lips, "He's gone. Don't ever look for him again." The words fell to the ground like a lump of clay. But to Mai, it sounded like an atomic bomb had been dropped on her. Her hands slipped out of Riya's hold and hesitantly, she placed a palm on his cheek and tilted his head up. The Zeelan came face to face with cold eyes the colour of glaucous marble chips. Not even a tear lined the rim of his purple orbs; they were completely soulless, completely hollow…

Not even the rain could cry for her now.


	24. Loveless

Chapter 61------Loveless

"Mai, please open the door?"

_I cared, I cared so much._

"Mai?" Hilary knocked on the bathroom door, "You have to come out and eat _something_?"

_In the end I was fooling myself._

"Mai, please!"

_Everyone was just __toying with me._

Mai gripped the bunch of keys.

_You're all __LIARS._

Outside, Hilary let out a frustrated sigh. Mai had been like this for two days. Ever since that eventful night, she had locked herself in the bathroom. She refused to eat and talk and nobody knew what she was doing inside. Hell, she could be dead for all they knew!

"Argh! She's never coming out!" Tyson threw his hands up in the air. Hilary glanced wistfully at the door, 'Mai…' "How long can one stay depressed?"

"Knowing Mai," Rei crossed his arms, "forever."

The leaky faucet dripped like the ticking of a clock. Neither day nor night existed where she lay huddled up in the bathtub. They kept the light on 24/7. Even if the crickets chirped, even if the vehicles zoomed by, she couldn't hear them. Only two things were clear to her: Riya's departure and the discoloured spot on the surface of the bathtub.

Levian: _Mai…You can't stay like this forever._

The girl couldn't think. But she could feel. Inside her, there were so many emotions swirling about longing to be expressed, but she held them in. She didn't want to feel. She didn't NEED to feel. So why, of all senses, had she retained her sense of touch? The cracking feeling whenever her tear-stained face twitched, the coolness of the keys, the contractions of her stomach, the heavy feeling buried in her chest... This life, she realised, was nothing more than to resurrect Eden; she was merely a tool.

She had always been…

_Someone, help me…_

At that moment, a warm sensation filled her pocket and a pale blue light blanketed her. Levian nudged his head against her cheek and whimpered softly. He curled up beside her and laid his head on her lap. Mai felt the warmth of his fur caress her skin, making her arm tingle. Slowly, she lifted a heavy hand and slipped her fingers through his white coat.

Levian: _You're human, that's why you feel. If you're scared, then I'll hide you from the world so no one will see you this way. So it's okay, no one will ever know, because I'm here. I'll always be here. _

And for some reason, the tears began to fall. Harder and harder she cried, as though emptying herself of all her problems. Droplets turned into brooks. Brooks turned into streams; till she could only manage a fit of snivelling in the end. She wanted to look back on the past and lament about what should or shouldn't have happened, what she could and couldn't have done…Usually people tend forget about such horrible things but she couldn't run from them. They replayed in her head over and over again, forcing her to relive every painful moment. The few happy memories she had seemed to fade into the depths of her dreary mind, consumed by the black pool of negative emotions residing within her.

She wanted to forget so badly, to start anew! If only she could turn back the hands of time, she'd rewrite history, a history in which Eden had no place in. But even in her wasted state, common sense still managed to kick in and told her that it was impossible. Time waits for no man. Even if she were to die here, the world would still go on living without her. In the end, people move on…

'People move on…' Mai thought to herself. 'People move on.'

Her head cocked lazily to the side and she caught sight of her herself in the mirror: listless, like an over-used puppet slumped in a corner. Her hair, long and unkempt, cascaded over her shoulders in thick messy locks while the skin below her eyes seemed to cast a shadow of its own. And that's when she picked herself up and opened the bathroom cabinet. She couldn't go on living like this.

-Fast forward-

Slowly, her hand grasped the door knob and turned it. She knew very well what was waiting behind the bathroom door—the guys would kill her. The door creaked open and the next thing Mai knew, someone had forcefully swung open the door and grabbed hold of her arm.

"YOU—!" But all that rage fizzled out as Kai took notice of the person standing before him.

She had short hair, and he wasn't talking girl-short here, it was GUY-short!

He furrowed his brow, what the hell had she done?

"Is she ou—WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HAIR?" Max pointed a shaky finger at her head as though something extraterrestrial was growing out of it.

So what if the boys didn't like the new change? What's done is done. Mai moved her arm and when Kai refused to let go, she shot a menacing glare at him and pulled her hand out of his grip. The girl headed downstairs without saying a word.

"HEY! SO YOU JUST WALK OUT HERE AND START SHOWING EVERYONE THAT CRAP ATTITUDE OF YOURS?" Kai was fuming. The nerve that girl had! Everyone had been so worried and that ungrateful—! That ungrateful little-pathetic-excuse-of-a-team-mate just strolls out of the bathroom thinking the world owes her a damn living?

Mai stopped at the staircase landing. Her short hair at present made it impossible to project a cold demeanour when she couldn't so she just stood there breathing while the others' gaze fell upon her. Her fingers played with the hem of her shirt and her eyes scanned the polished wooden floor, anything to take her mind off the person whom she knew must loathe her now as much as he loathed losing. 'Just say it!' She chewed her lip. 'SAY IT!'

"TAKUYA MAI!"

"Okay," Mai thought aloud, "sorry. I'm just not in the mood right now…Sorry." With that, she took the hardest step of walking away from that uncomfortable zone and into the kitchen. She didn't mean to be rude but… they should just leave her alone for now.

Kai took a step forward but Grampa G caught hold of him, "Right, show's over. You dudes better get some shut-eye." He patted hard on the boy's shoulder.

"But!"

"I'll take care of it," the old man winked and shooed the rest of them away.

Mai sat alone at the dining table, drowning herself in milk and plain rice. She had already finished one carton and proceeded to raid the fridge for more. Someone told her she could get drunk on milk. Well, she was going to find out today. "Want some pickles?" The girl spun around to see Grampa G standing in the kitchen doorway. "Rice alone ain't gonna fill that stomach of yours, you know." Mai looked away. She _was_ hungry, but it was embarrassing to be shown such kindness after she had just displayed such foul behaviour at all of them a few moments ago. Her stubbornness and pride were childish…and she was nearly 17!

The man set a bowl of pickles in front of her. Mai shyly picked up a few pieces with her chopsticks and placed them on top of her rice. Two whole days without food had left her famished but she couldn't abandon her social graces altogether and gobble down the food in front of Grampa G.

Kai spied on her from the stairs. Nothing apart from her physical appearance had changed. Then it struck him! Mai always that said she would change but she never did; and she never will. It was sickening! Oh so sickening to hear her say it so many times and not act upon her words. She was still the same person they had met in the hospital. They had manage to put up with her for almost a year now but sometimes, sometimes Kai just wished he could slap some sense into that thick skull of hers! She was so—! So—!

He let out a sigh and knocked his head gently on the railing. 'Do I like her? But she's so—!' Kai breathed out deeply and knocked his head a few more times. This had to stop. These little feelings he had for her had to go away and he'd MAKE them go away. He HAD to. He MUST.

Kai took a look at his shoulder. His body had gone through every kind of bashing since the day they had befriended Mai. He needed a rest. He was going to bed. He took one last look and the pair seated at the table and proceeded upstairs.

"Goin' to school tomorrow?"

Mai looked up. After a brief moment, she nodded her head.

The poor girl looked tired. Going through another bad notch in her life was one thing but that attitude of hers didn't exactly make things any better for her and everyone else. The old man sat thinking, "You know, a pickle's only sweet if you bite into it." Mai stopped chewing and stared at him blankly. "Which means to say," Grampa G got up, "something good always comes out of a bad situation. It'll all work out in the end." He plucked a pickle from her bowl and ate it before walking away. "Don't stay up too late, got school tomorrow."

She bit the sour pickle in her mouth and ran her tongue over it. True enough, it tasted sweet.

-Next day-

Spotting short hair on a girl was considered unbecoming of a lady in Japan. Everyone else had shiny straight black hair that fell to their backs or tied up in a ponytail or two so today Mai stuck out like a sore thumb; perhaps even worse, the fly in your soup or the stubborn red stain on your white cotton dress.

-whisper whisper-

"Oh my god, what did she do to her hair?"

-murmur murmur-

"It's so short."

-snicker-

"Hey, check it out! It's the new _guy_!"

Mai clutched her bag even tighter. It reminded her of her first day in Shiroyama High. The staring, the whispering, the cold looks, it was déjà vu all over again. She gulped and continued walking, she promised herself she'd start all over again. 'Just keep walking, keep walking, keep—'

-thud-

"Sorry! I'm so sorry!"

The two scrambled to pick up the fallen books.

"No, it's my fault. I wasn't— Takuya-san?" Yuta peered at her face closely, something was different. "You…cut your hair?" Mai nodded quickly and hurried with the books. She couldn't look at him, those emerald eyes would make any girl's cheek flush red. She picked up the last book and handed it to him. "I'll be off then," she gave a slight bow and quickly walked away.

"Hey Takuya-san!"

But the girl sped down the hallway.

-Geography class…-

"Right, work in pairs everyone! I don't have enough topographical maps to go around." Mr Tojo handed out the maps.

Mai sighed. She hated pair work. The class had an odd number of people and guess who the 'odd' number was? She took a map and began working on the questions.

"You're working alone?" Yuta stopped by her desk, the map in one hand.

"Yeah." 'I usually do…'

"Okay." He walked away. Few seconds later, Mai heard a chair pull up in front of her. "Yo Takuya, don't mind right?" Hiroshi pulled up a seat next to her. Mai gave a feeble reply. She looked from Hiroshi to Yuta, what was going on? "Relax Takuya, we're doing you a favour. You've got two of the best-looking guys in the class working with you." Mai rolled her eyes while Yuta just grinned.

"You three! Get to work! I want it in by the end of the day."

"Jeez, is there a male version of menopause because Tojo could be the first." Mai held back a laugh. "C'mon Hiro, get to work," Yuta unfolded the map.

Just then, Mai felt something vibrate in her pocket. Placing it near the edge of her seat so Mr Tojo couldn't see, she flipped open her mobile.

Hilary: Hey, r u feeling better? Why'd u cut yr hair? It's so short! See u at lunch

Mai: Yeah okay…

Mai pressed 'send'. The screen returned to the wallpaper and Mai's thumb paused. It was the picture of them at the harbour, the whole gang, including Riya. Her mind raced back to the memory of that night…

-flashback-

A dark shadow draped over his eyes, revealing only the pallid complexion of the lower part of his face. He spoke through thin lips, "He's gone. Don't ever look for him again."

-End of flashback-

He just left her standing in the rain like that… No goodbye, not even looking back while walking away. It was only now that Mai started to wonder why. Why had he left her for no apparent reason? He didn't even look sad that night. Was it something she had done?

Frown lines appeared on her forehead. HOW COULD HE LEAVE HER HANGING LIKE THIS?

"Takuya-san?"

"Hai?" Mai snapped the phone shut and shoved it into her pocket. "Sorry, what question are we at now?"

As soon as she had completed her sentence, the bell rang. "Damn. You know I'd _really_ like to help you guys but I've got basketball practice after school," Hiroshi rocked on his heels waiting for a reply.

"That's okay. Takuya-san and I can do the rest."

Mai shot a bewildered look at Yuta, "WE? Do the rest?" 'TOGETHER?' She imagined a little cartoon Mai shooting herself, resurrecting and shooting herself again.

"Unless, you're not free after—"

"No, it's fine! 3.30 at the courtyard then." 'What the hell are you doing? You're supposed to meet Tyson and the rest for training today!' Mai shoved the little voice in her head to the farthest depths of her mind. Training could wait; work was more important, definitely more important.

-Fast forward-

The bell chimed. "LET'S GO BEYBLADE!" Tyson stretched his arms; it had been a long day.

"You guys go on ahead, I'll meet you there." Mai was throwing her books and pencil box into her bag.

"But Kai's rule—"

"Screw it!" The girl grabbed her bag and ran out of class. She made her way to the courtyard to find Yuta already waiting by a nearby table. "Sorry I'm late!" She plopped her bag on the table and caught her breathe. Yuta was not one to dilly-dally. He got to work right away, spreading the map on the table while absent-mindedly digging through his bag for his pencil case. "We left off at question 12."

"Oh," Mai took the worksheet and scanned through the questions. "How about I do the even-numbered questions and you do the odd? It's faster." She jiggled her mechanical pencil and began analysing the map.

The pair worked quietly, a far cry from what Mai had hoped the situation would be like. Although she was disappointed, a part of her still wanted to get the work done as fast as possible and she could tell that Yuta felt the same way too. She never caught him looking at her; it was always the map… Mai felt somewhat stupid at that moment. 'I guess it's kind of foolish to think that…'

"Done!" Yuta exclaimed triumphantly. Mai found that she still had 4 more questions to go and the sound of Yuta packing his things was breaking her concentration. Or rather, it was the thought of him leaving. She shook her head to erase the thought and focused on the gradient question.

"Need help?"

"No, it's okay." 'Just go…' Mai busied herself with the questions and acted as though she didn't mind him leaving first.

"Hey, it's Hiroshi." Mai lifted her head to see Hiroshi walking out of school with a few other students. "It looks like he's going somewhere."

The girl scoffed, "Lazy pig," and got back to work. Yuta snorted a laugh. "Hey, I never got to ask why you cut your hair."

The question made Mai's head go blank for a few seconds but she gave a hasty reply, "It was too long."

Somehow Yuta didn't buy this. "Moshikashite…kareshi no se (Can it be…a guy problem)?" Her head shot up. "Yappari ne (I thought so)," he nodded to himself.

"Naze—?"

The boy avoided her eyes, "I had a girlfriend," the pit in Mai's stomach sank deeper at those words, "she cut her hair too." He looked at her.

"Sou ka…" Mai didn't know what to say. If Yuta was looking for an out-pouring session then sorry, this girl wasn't in for it. Her love-life, well currently non-existent, was private and so was Yuta's. Unless he was willing to share, she had no right to probe. "It's just a coincidence."

"Tabun ne… (probably)"

…….

It was no use, Mai couldn't continue with her work. This whole conversation, no, the whole topic just obliterated any form of concentration she had. "She must've liked you a lot," she broke the uncomfortable silence lingering between them.

He gave a half-hearted smile, "Omae mou ne (I can say the same for you)."

The words sank in and soon she felt tears well up in her eyes. 'No, don't do this!' She took deep breaths and shut her mouth tightly. He had no right! Yuta had no right! Mai grabbed her things and got up.

"Takuya-san?"

"Sorry, I have to go." She hurried away quickly, weeping her tears on the sleeve of her blazer. She heard Yuta call out to her and she broke into a run, he couldn't see her like this. Nobody was allowed to see her like this! She ran out of school and down the road, the hem of her skirt swishing just above her knee. She didn't care where her legs took her, she just wanted to get away. At length, she found herself running down a quiet neighbourhood.

For the first time in her life, she felt alone. She WAS alone! The only family or tribe she had left—everything! Riya was gone! Copellia and the rest had gone off with him! There wasn't even a proper goodbye! The guys didn't understand! Nobody did! And Yuta had to—Yuta had to—! The tears squeezed out of her eyes and she blinked them away quickly. The Zeelan leant her back against the wall at a road junction, forcing back the tears by facing skyward.

Of course she loved him, any idiot could see that! She loved him enough to try to forget him. That's why she cut her hair, because she didn't want to see the memory of her old self whenever she glanced into the mirror. She was nothing like Yuta's girlfriend! No one could ever come close!

Mai sniffed hard and swallowed her salty saliva. She had to stop crying before anyone came by and asked her what was wrong. Riya had hurt her but she couldn't be crying buckets every time the memory of his departure drifted into her mind.

It was already too late to meet the guys so she began walking in the direction of home. As she walked, she thought and as she thought, something came to mind. Kai wasn't going to be pleased about her missing practice today but she'd have something to show for it in the end and she was confident that she would.

-Later-

"You missed practice."

"Honto ni gomenasai." Mai tried to put as much sincerity as she could into that apology but she guessed it didn't quite come out right because Kai glowered even more. "Honto da…" Kai raised his head and walked away, wasting a single breath on this girl wasn't worth it. Just as he past her, Mai flicked her eyes at him, "I'll get stronger."

Kai started walking up the steps.

"You'll see." Mai said this more to herself than to him. She knew he couldn't be bothered with her. She had to prove her worth so until then, she couldn't and wouldn't expect much from him.

It was time to get serious.


	25. The ‘Dreaded’ Birthday Party

Chapter 62------The 'Dreaded' Birthday Party

Fuelled by indignation, Mai began her training which took her through countless number of sunrises. She pulled through hours upon hours of focused training and skills revision, not caring if her every muscle was overstretched or how listless she felt. She had too much to risk if she gave up now. She had something to prove, something to lose and something to gain from all of it. The satisfaction was too sweet to resist; the promise of pride, freedom and revenge.

Yet she kept such sinful desires a secret, hidden behind a masquerade of affable facial expressions, sarcasm, laughs; her usual self so to speak. Everyone took it as the calm after the storm, the really-I'm-okay after a terrible break-up. But no one really knew what was brewing inside the girl.

She'd show them, she'd show ALL of them…

Mai patted back a yawn as she stood beside the rest. 'They' had been shopping for almost 5 hours and how ironic that 'they' were worse than girls when it came to choosing the right gift. "For Pete's sake, just get the guy a wallet!"

"A wallet? For a 21 year old?" Tyson peered over the collection of watches.

"You're a GUY! What do YOU like?" The girl was frustrated and hungry, not to mention tired…and all three summed up to one cranky girl if they didn't get home soon.

"I'd like a car when I reach 21," Max beamed.

Mai left the boys to squabble over the choice of gift while her thoughts drifted to the European tournament happening next week. She still had a long way more to go in her training, she wondered if she'd be ready by then. 'Lev still hasn't perfected that move yet. And…there's a high chance _he'll_ be there.'

Perhaps her chance for revenge came too soon? She wasn't ready. Then again she wasn't going to act the part of the disconsolate lovelorn girl in front of Riya, she'd rather bury herself six feet under. By hook or by crook, she had to be ready to face him. Even if the love still lingered, of which she hoped to erase completely by then, she was going to put up a brave front. It hurt too much to cry over such a trivial thing.

'A trivial thing huh?' She wondered how true that was.

-Fast forward-

"_Attention please, flight JL216 from Tokyo to Berlin has just landed. Passengers please collect your baggage at belt 10. Thank you._"

Mai wrapped her scarf tightly around her neck. And to think the aeroplane was cold, the airport was worse! The group hurried along the carpeted walkways and passed through immigration smoothly. From the arrival hall, they could see tons of fans spilling over the barricades that were put up. The Bladebreakers weren't the only ones arriving today. Mai had spotted a few familiar faces from the Asian tournament, including her nemesis: the Saint Shields. She was told that they had saved her life once, but that didn't make up for the fact that they were one of the few people who knew her secret and were trying to stop her from resurrecting Eden.

'Cheh, they should be stopping Riya, not me…' Mai put on her shades in case one of them spotted her. Things wouldn't be pretty if they did…

The girl could hear the screaming coming from outside. Every time the glass doors slid open, high-pitched voices would fill her ears. It was like an irritating musical box: open, scream! Close, silence.

Stepping through glass doors and being swarmed by fans becomes a norm when you're popular. Sometimes you get people touching you— Mai disliked like that the most— other times it's signing of autographs, pictures with the fans etc. It was no different no matter where you went. You either get bored of it or bear with it, all with a smile of course.

Finally, they made it out of Flughafen Berlin Airport. Mai sunk into the car seat, placing the bouquet of flowers at her feet. Max slid into the seat beside her, lugging a very huge teddy bear which pressed against his face. They were headed for Estrel Hotel and Convention Centre, and then to register for the tournament and later in the evening, attend some guy called Robert's birthday. It was a tight schedule, one that Mai wasn't looking forward to. Traversing the world was fun and all but sometimes she just wished she could stay home. She missed her village; she missed lying down in the field of rape blossoms, dipping her feet in the nearby river…

But all that would never come back now would it? It was all gone, turned to dust and scattered by the wind; just like her past.

Mai sniffed a little and pinched her nose.

"What's wrong?"

She quickly shook her head, forcing herself to stare out the window.

The group arrived at the weirdly shaped hotel. Its main building was triangular and faceted with glass which reflected the marine blue sky. A dozen flag poles lined the driveway as the taxis pulled up to the front of the lobby. The waiting lounge was classy: speckled-red marble with wide cream-coloured armchairs arranged in little pairs. Mai was busy playing with the game on her mobile when Kai came over to hand out the room keys. Mai was surprised when she got her own, "Eh? Watashi dake? (For me?)"

The Russian gave her a look that said what-do-you-think and walked away. Mai looked down at the golden key in her palm; she never had a room to herself before. What happened to 'it's for your protection'? Maybe Kai thought it wasn't necessary anymore? Maybe he finally understood that she could take care of herself? Nonetheless, the corner of her lips curled. She had a room all to herself!

Mai opened the door to pastel yellow walls and red carpeted flooring. To her right, was a queen-sized bed and on the dressing table was a vase filled with fresh flowers. The girl dropped her bags and bounced on the bed. It was so huge! And she had it all to herself! She smiled and rolled around, enjoying the feel of the silk comforter against her cheek.

"Like it?"

Mai looked up. She had been too preoccupied with the giant bed that she had forgotten to close the door. "It's huge!" She climbed onto her knees and bounced a bit more. "How's your room?"

"Same as yours but with two single beds," Rei sat down beside her and looked around.

"Hehhh, too bad!" Mai got off the bed and went to have a look at the bathroom.

"Anyway, Mr Dickinson said he would help us register for the tournament, -"That's nice," Mai called from the bathroom- so that we could get some rest before the party tonight."

"Ne Rei," She came out of the bathroom, "kaerimashyo? (Let's go back)"

The boy blinked back at her, suddenly the atmosphere had changed. "Doko he? Hihon? (Where? Japan?)"

Mai sat on the bed staring at the floor. "Chugoku da, (China)" she muttered in a heavy tone. Rei didn't know how to respond, the question had caught him by surprise. What's worse, it seemed as though Mai really meant it. He could sense that something was wrong with the girl. "You…wanna talk about it?"

She smiled normally as if shrugging the whole thing off and faced him, "I'm going for a stroll okay?" Rei watched her leave, his brows knitted with confusion. Mai was behaving strangely today. 'Could it be…?' The boy cringed with disgust.

Mai took her time to explore the hotel. The place that left her speechless was the dining area. It was beautiful! The whole area was situated in a glass house. Natural light filtered through the glass ceiling and sets of tables and chairs dotted the floor. They even had tangerine trees growing indoors! She spotted a couple sipping tea and thought how cosy it would be to dine here tomorrow. 'I wanna try the croissants and oh! I bet they have those marmalade-filled pastries! I heard Germany's famous for that!' She continued walking, enthralled by the sight of—

-Oomph-

"Sorry!" Mai looked up and came face to face with the bluest pair of eyes she had ever seen. It wasn't like hers; his was a piercing ice-blue, one that could penetrate you with just a glance. In contrast, his hair was a flaming deep red with some loose strands falling lazily over his forehead. Mai thought he looked cool although his gaze somehow reminded her of Kai: cold and empty.

The boy stared down at her, then all at once broke into a warm smile, "It's okay." He gave a nod and walked away, his friends trailing behind him. Mai stood there watching him leave. There was something about his cool demeanour that she found attractive. Those blue eyes…It gave her an odd feeling when he looked at her, as though she ought to be afraid of him and yet enthralled at the same time. 'Who is that guy?'

-Fast forward-

"How about this? Or this? Oh! This is one is just gorgeous!" Mariah pulled out every clothes hanger on the rack.

"I told you, Mariah! I already have an outfit!" Mai argued as she dumped the pile of clothes on a nearby chair.

"But it makes you look like a boy!"

"With this hair," Mai tugged at her short strands, "does it look like I have a choice? Besides, I like my outfit. It's English."

"You want to look like a boy?" The pink-haired girl stressed on the word 'boy'.

Mai's temple twitched, would Mariah just quit it with the 'boy' thing? She was a 100 female but that didn't mean she had to flaunt whatever assets she had in a dress and bloody heels! Call her old-fashioned but at least she was modest! "You know Mariah, sometimes you're just soo…" The girl controlled herself and took deep breaths.

"I'm just trying to make you look good," the pinkette held Mai's shoulders. "I'm sure lots of guys will be at the party tonight. This is your chance to get over Riya!"

An image of the boy she bumped into flashed across her mind, 'Yeah right, like he'll be there…' "Thanks but no thanks. You know, I'm feeling a little sick, maybe I'll take nap before we go…"

Mai was relieved when Mariah left the room. She wasn't really sick, but she felt her stomach cave in at the mention of Riya's name. The Zeelan lay face down on the bed, Mariah just HAD to remind her. How nice…

She shifted her head to the side and stared into space. "He'll definitely be there. What am I going to do when I see him? Avoid him? Maybe we'll both pretend like nothing happened…" Mai was getting goose bumps just thinking about it. The thought of seeing Riya again, it was like being forced to relive a painful nightmare. And the more she saw him, the more the memories would just come flooding back.

Mai lay there till her eyes grew heavy. She didn't know how long she had slept until Tyson came knocking at her door. The girl lifted a lazy eye and looked at the clock. She immediately jumped out of bed, "CRAP!"

-Half an hour later…-

Mai slammed the door behind her, "Sorry! I am so terribly sorry!" She placed her palms together as though pleading for their forgiveness. Tyson gave her THE look and she knew they weren't happy. The Zeelan stayed quiet throughout the rest of the journey, making minimal eye contact with the rest of them. Everyone seemed to be irritated with her these days… 'Or perhaps I'm really the one at fault?' The thought made Mai sulk even more.

The group arrived at a huge mansion situated at the foothills. If not for the big white tents, lights and music, Mai thought it looked eerie against the backdrop of the Black Forest. She had heard about the Black Forest, wolves inhabited the place and it was scary enough to wander the woods in pairs even in the day. Not forgetting past tales of witchcraft and spirits… The girl turned her head away, lest she saw something she'd rather not see.

The Bladebreakers walked into the wide tent; the inside was decorated like the ballroom of a hotel with a few dozen tables. There were people everywhere: dressed in formal attire, sipping wine, having a laugh or sampling the wide array at the buffet table. The transition was so surreal, from creepy horror scene to refined tea party. Mai walked behind the boys, looking around in case she managed to spot 'him'.

"TYSON!"

"ROBERT!"

The two boys gave each other a hearty handshake. 'So that's Robert huh?' Mai was looking at a tall boy decked in a black suit. His purple hair was neatly combed back and his eyes slanted at an angle that made him look almost perpetually angry. One by one, the members of her team greeted Robert. Mai stood close to Mariah. She felt out of place, she didn't know anyone here. There were so many… well…men.

"Mariah! How nice to see you again!"

"Enrique," the pinkette acknowledged with a smile, though Mai could hear the disdain in her voice.

"So you've finally let go of Rei and got yourself a new man?" The blond looked in Mai's direction. "Why not come with me instead?" he slurred.

"Right, that's enough wine for you, Enrique," A small boy appeared and took the glass of wine away from him. From his accent, Mai concluded that he was French.

"But Oliver, wine is good! It's always good!" the boy whined.

"My apologies Mademoiselle, Monsieur; my friend is actually lovely but he is a fool at heart."

Mariah laughed, "Mai, I'd like you to meet Oliver. He's with the Majestics, Robert's team." Mai stepped forward and shook the boy's hand, "_And_, she's a girl." The green-haired boy immediately apologised and bowed his head graciously. Mai could only manage a feeble smile, assuring him that it was really okay.

As if coming to his senses, Enrique jumped in between them and took hold of Mai's hand. "How could I have not recognised a lovely girl such as yourself? I must be going blind." Mai blinked back at him, was he sober?

"Enrique, Enrique Giancarlo. A proud member of the Majestics and," he bent down, kissed her hand and looked up, "extremely pleased to meet you." By now Mai wanted so much for him to let go of her hand. Yes he was charming, not bad looking either but he was making her really uneasy. She wondered if all European men were like him. If they were, she'd rather marry Kai. 'Wait! Did I just think that?'

"Beat it, Enrique. Go flirt with some other girl called Sophia or Isabella." Mariah snapped.

The blond sighed, "Very well Mariah," and gently let go of Mai's hand. "But if there's anything the Lady needs, I'd be honoured to please." He made a sweeping gesture with his hand and bowed before leaving Mai's side.

"THAT was Enrique, a HUGE flirt."

"I know…" Mai wiped the back of her hand on her dress pants. The thought of his lips pressed against it just now… She looked at her hand with slight disgust. It wasn't enough, she needed the washroom. "I'm going to the washroom for a while, okay?"

Mai didn't wait for Mariah to reply and left to look for the washroom. She came out of the tent and looked around, there was nothing. 'Perhaps it's in the mansion…' The girl re-entered the tent and made her way inside the house. She stood under the orange glow of the chandelier, wondering which way to go: the left wing or the right wing? She spotted a maid hurrying with a tray of food, "Um, excuse me, can I—" But the maid ignored her, muttering something as she past. Mai figured she would just go right.

Her court shoes clicked as she walked down the marble floor. Ever so often, she would pass a painting or a suit of armour, sometimes a mirror. The Zeelan sighed in frustration, "Where's the stupid toilet?" She looked down her left and right, why weren't there any people around? Mai was on the verge of giving up when she spotted a cat. "Hey," she cooed. The cat froze— then quickly scurried away. "Hey! Wait!" The girl ran after the cat, using the faint tinkle of the bell as her guide. Mai turned a corner when—

-Ba-dump-

She bent over, "No! It can't—"

-Ba-dump-

Mai grabbed her forehead, it was spreading. The pain was spreading! She leant on the wall of the corridor, her head was spinning and her vision was beginning to blur. 'No!' She told herself. She couldn't faint in a place like this! She had to stay awake.

-Ba-dump- -Ba-dump- -Ba-dump- -Ba-dump-

Mai felt her way along, squeezing her head each time trying to fight off the pain. She needed to get out of this place. Something here was –Ba-dump- something here was—

'!'

-Premonition-

They were crying out, chanting words you couldn't understand. Yet you felt something happening to you as their voices resonated in your ears. Something was pulling you, sucking you in.

Those hooded people…Who are they?

And then one of them looked up, and you caught a glimpse of a face lit by the glow of the fire. The face of the one who…

-End of premonition-

Mai stumbled into a dark room. She didn't know where she was, nor could she make any sense of her surroundings. She touched something cold and hard as her hands groped around for support. There was a lot of clanking and it added to the pounding in her head. "Stop, make it stop! STOP!"

The girl fell to the floor. The pain had vanished. She sat there, panting and rubbing her temples. Behind her, a thin beam of light raced across the floor. It came from the door that was left ajar. Mai glanced around, she was in a very dark room but with the little light available, she could make out the frames of shiny figures. Her heart began to race; she needed to get out of here!

Mai scrambled to her feet. At that moment, lightning flashed and illuminated the room for a millisecond. The girl stood there, dazed. She was looking up at a huge portrait that ran the whole length of the wall. But it wasn't its grandeur that stunned her; it was the person in the painting.

It was her, the one in her premonition.

Once more, lightning streaked across the sky and a low rumble followed suit. Mai made out the features of a young girl. She was beautiful, with wavy golden hair that reached down to her back.

Had Eden wanted her to know something by bringing her here?

"What are you doing here?"

The voice made Mai jump and she quickly spun around. She couldn't make out the shadowy figure that stood against the backdrop of the bright light coming from the hallway. All of a sudden, the lights were turned on and Mai realised where she was. All around her stood rows upon rows of armour.

"This place is out of bounds to people. How did you get here?" Robert questioned sternly.

"I was looking for the washroom," Mai replied meekly. "No one gave me directions so I ended up here…"

Robert narrowed his gaze, as if considering whether she was telling the truth. He glanced around, and then looked back at her. "I shall escort you out of the house, lest you get _lost _again."

"Um, is that your mother in the painting?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"She seems…familiar." Mai turned to stare up at the portrait.

"Rubbish, that woman died many centuries ago. How could she be familiar unless

you—" He stopped to take note of his words. He gulped and resumed his refined stature. "If you would please, my friends are waiting for me." He directed his hand towards the door.

Mai walked forward, still not satisfied with his answer. Robert was hiding something, and it was definitely related to Eden. And that woman, she was there when it all happened.

"You're a Dread."

Robert's head jerked. He turned to her and trying best to keep his cool answered, "I have no idea what you are talking about." He continued walking.

Mai kept up with him, "You're a Dread aren't you? Who's that lady in the picture? Tell me."

"Tell me!"

"Miss! If you do not stop your insistent jabbering then you can jolly well find the exit for yourself or shall I report you to the police for attempted robbery?"

Mai's head moved back a little, surprised by his sudden outburst. Robert looked at her with wide eyes, expecting a reply. "Sorry," she managed to mumble. The two of them hurried down the corridors. They had taken so many turns that Mai wondered how deep she had wandered into the house. Finally, the girl spotted the familiar entrance of the house.

"Mai! Where were you?" Tyson made his way towards the pair.

"So she's _your_ acquaintance. I found her snooping around in the armour room."

"I wasn't _snooping_!" Mai retorted, but quickly shut her mouth when she remembered the situation she was in. She was beginning to hate this Robert guy. All of a sudden, she felt a sharp tug on her arm. "It's bad enough that you cause trouble in Japan," a harsh whisper sounded in her ear, "don't bring your childish attitude here and embarrass us all." Kai let go of her arm. Mai's jaw locked as she looked around at the rest of her team mates. Why wouldn't anyone listen to her side of the story? "Sorry I caused you trouble," She apologised bluntly and left the group. So what if she was acting childish? _They_ were being unfair.

The girl exited the tent and sat herself in one of the chairs near the entrance of the house. "Stupid party…stupid Eden…" She could add on to the list of stupid things if she dug deeper into her memory. For starters, her whole life basically…

Mai sat staring at the floor. Strangely, she found looking for cracks rather enjoyable. She'd smile to herself every time she found one, 'Hah! Looks like Mr-Oh-so-perfect isn't so perfect after all.'

"Can I sit here?"

The ashen-haired girl looked up to see— she felt her heart sink. It was Enrique. She gave a half-hearted nod and kept silent.

"Hey."

Mai turned to face him, "What?"

"Did I mention that you have the most gorgeous pair of eyes? Such a lovely colour."

Mai hastily looked away, "Are you sober?"

She heard a small chuckle. "I assure you, I can handle my liquor quite well."

"That I have yet to see…" the girl muttered under her breath. Mai noticed that the people were starting to gather at a particular area of the tent. Music was playing softly in the background. Then, a hand shot out in front of her. "Dance with me?"

Mai looked up to see the blond Italian smiling down at her. She wanted to say no but then what would she do? Delve into the wonderful world of cracks again? Hell no. And for a moment there, Enrique _was_ quite charming. She took his hand, "All right, but no funny business."

"Cross my heart."

Enrique led Mai unto the dance floor, telling her to follow his lead. Amazingly, he was gentlemanly enough to place his hands in the right places: one holding her hand whilst the other resting comfortably behind her shoulder.

"Is that Mai with Enrique?" Mariah blinked and took a closer look to check if she was dreaming.

"Yup," Rei replied. The Chinese couple were dancing just a few metres right of Mai.

"Hey, it's Mai and Enrique." Kai gave his regular 'hmph' of an answer. "Aren't you jealous?"

"To see this punch splashed all over your face? Not really…" The Russian took a sip from his cup. Tyson didn't speak a word after that.

All throughout the dance, Enrique didn't take his eyes off Mai. He'd smile when he twirled her, chuckle when she accidentally stepped on his foot which made her very embarrassed but still thankful that he didn't mind. They were right; he WAS a ladies' man. 'No wonder girls fall at you feet,' Mai thought as he pulled her back in.

The music ended and the two parted hands; or so Mai thought they would. Enrique was looking at her in a way that made her nervous. What was it reflected in those emerald-green eyes? Sincerity? Longing? LOVE?

"Enrique!"

He snapped out of his thoughts.

"Enrique, dance with us!"

"No, Enrique's dancing with me!" A girl tugged at his arm.

"No, me first, Enrique!" Another one pouted.

"Haha! Ladies, ladies, there's always enough of me to go around." The blond walked away, his arm linked around two girls while the rest swarmed around him. Mai couldn't help but sigh and shake her head, "Ladies' man indeed…"

Turns out, Riya wasn't present at the party that night. As the guests started to leave, the Bladebreakers thought they'd make a move too.

"No, please stay for supper."

"No, we wouldn't—"

"I insist." Robert interrupted, his eyes fixated upon Mai as he said it. "It's been a long time, I thought we'd have a chat to catch up on things," he turned to face Tyson again.

All of them were led into a huge living room which Mai had to admit, was tastefully furnished. Enrique and Oliver were staying the night so naturally, they joined them for supper.

"Coffee sir?"

Enrique waved a hand to dismiss the offer, "No thank you." The boy groaned and massaged his forehead. "Oliver, remind me next time that wine and dancing do not go well together…" Mai snorted at this. Enrique looked at her and she quickly busied herself with her apple crumble. He smirked.

As the rest of them talked, Mai's eyes grew heavy. Why did Robert have to 'catch up on things' tonight? Couldn't he do it tomorrow? Mai glanced at the clock: 15 minutes to midnight. She felt like slouching over the table but she had more dignity than that.

"Mai."

"Huh?" The girl's head jerked.

"May I have a word with you?"

"Uh, sure." Mai got up unsurely. She followed Robert down the hallway and they entered a room.

"Johnny, if you could kindly leave."

"What?" The boy stood up from the sofa, took one look at Mai then exclaimed, "I'm not getting out for no lass!"

"My house, my rules. Now out."

The boy grumbled out of the room. Robert made sure the hallway was clear before closing the doors. He turned to face Mai, "Now look here, you obviously know something about my family so spill."

Mai glared at him. Now he demands her to talk when he turned her down a few hours ago?

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"Tell me who that lady in the picture is."

"Tell me who you are first."

"You're a Dread. That lady in the picture is a Dread!"

Almost at once, Robert was inches from her face, his stern eyes piercing through her like daggers. "Believe me. You do NOT want to mess with me. Don't think that just because you're a girl I won't lay a finger on you."

"I can say the same for you," Mai replied coolly and at that moment, Robert felt something sharp at his back. The boy froze. He looked down at her, his movements as stiff as a block. "How about we make a deal? I tell you who she is and you let me go?"

"No, you tell me who she is and answer my questions then I'll let you go."

The boy gritted his teeth and looked at her with such detest, "Fine."

Mai withdrew the toothpick. Good thing she didn't throw it away just now. Robert backed into a chair and heaved a small sigh while Mai sat across from him. It took a while before he started talking. "Her name was Princess Renaissance, my ancestor from many centuries ago."

"So you're a Dread then."

"If it shuts you up, yes I am a Dread; although not too proud of it."

"Why?"

"Our race was condemned a long time ago because of what that woman had done. We were blamed for causing the war. Our names were defamed, everyone disliked us." Robert folded his arms and leant back in his seat, "Those fools didn't even know the real reason behind everything."

"She tried to capture Eden."

"She did it to save her people! There was a famine at that time. My ancestors were starving and worse, there was an outbreak of a disease. Princess Renaissance saw that her people were suffering, she had no choice! They turned to the other tribes for help but none offered a hand. In the end, she knew that only with Eden's power could she save her people so she sought out to capture him."

"And that caused the war," Mai finished for him.

"Over the years, descendants of our race have tried to put the past behind us and Princess Renaissance's name was slowly forgotten." He thought for a while, "No, I think most of us deliberately chose not to remember her."

Mai nodded as she took in the information. "But, she was quite noble."

Robert chortled, "If you call abandoning my ancestors _noble_. The Princess fled, some people say it was because her heart was so full of guilt but I don't care. She left my ancestors worse off than before. We were blamed for EVERYTHING, discriminated against. No tribe would help us after what the Princess did. Many perished from starvation and disease, they died with such little dignity to their name that you couldn't even fill a pinhole with! My family had to work HARD to get to where they are now."

Mai could sense how bitter Robert was towards the Princess. No wonder he hated being called a Dread. Suddenly, there was a clap of thunder and Mai sat up a little in her seat. "Looks like you'll be spending the night," Robert crossed his legs, "I'll arrange for your rooms to be prepared." Seeing her confused expression he unwillingly added, "Mudslides are frequent in this area so unless you have a helicopter to pick you up, you're not going anywhere."

She stood up—"Sit down. We're not done yet." Mai sat back down. "Whatever I've said cannot and will not leave this room. I assume the same conditions will apply to you?" The girl nodded her head, the fewer people knew about her secret, the better. "Now tell me who you are."

Mai unrolled her sleeve, "Seen this before?" The boy shook his head. She sighed and rolled down her sleeve. "I'm a Zeelan."

"Right," he replied curtly.

Mai studied his face; this was going to be a LONG night…


	26. The Whole World's Angry

Chapter 63------The Whole World's Angry

Mai awoke to the sound of birds chirping outside the window. She moved when—"Itai." Her neck strained with pain. Very slowly, she sat upright, taking care not to send a wave of pain jolting throughout her whole body. She looked around and understood why. Robert had left her in the same room as last night; she must've fallen asleep in an uncomfortable position. 'This is how he treats his guests?' Mai scowled as she massaged her neck.

The girl pulled the blanket off, got up and stretched. She had fallen asleep in her clothes, and not a very nice thing to do, especially when you need to head back to the hotel in them. What would people think if she came strolling in with dishevelled hair and crinkled clothes? "Stupid Robert!" She cursed under her breath as she tried to fix her hair in the mirror. As she ran her fingers through her hair, she became all too aware of the length; the strands fell from her fingers within a few milliseconds. It was short, maybe a little too short. Or perhaps she just wasn't used to it seeing that she had kept a long mane ever since childhood.

Mai opened the doors and walked out into the corridor. She figured it was still early in the morning because someone would've called her by now if she had overslept. Silently, she explored the hallways, wondering where the rest were and if they were already awake.

-Meow-

She halted a few feet away from the grey cat which stared at her intently. And as always, it scurried off without a care. But this time Mai was quick enough and picked up the squirming animal by the waist, "Gotcha!" She carried it and sat in a nearby chair, gently forcing the cat to rest on her lap. "You got me into a lot of trouble yesterday, you did." The cat looked up at her absent-mindedly and elicited another meow.

"Hey."

Mai looked up—"Itai!" The cat had scratched her before leaping off her lap and dashing down the hallway. The red line wasn't that deep but it stung when she moved her hand.

"You shouldn't have picked him up. Faust doesn't like it when other people touch him."

Enrique sat down next to her. "Let me see your hand." To her surprise, he didn't wait for her to react but just took it anyway. Her heartbeat raced as he held her hand. Mai hardly experienced this, a boy holding her hand. Even with Riya it was rare. To be honest, she couldn't even remember the last time they held hands. "It's not too bad. A little antiseptic should do it, no need for band-aids." He let go of her hand. Mai nodded and kept her eyes glued to the floor. Last night Enrique was the biggest Casanova and today he was Mr Sensitive? It wasn't possible!

'No, you're jumping to too many conclusions. Maybe he's just concerned? Yeah that's it! Concern! Nothing else to it!' She reassured herself.

"Are you hungry? Let's get some breakfast! How about pancakes?" He pulled her up but Mai quickly removed her hand from his grip.

"I can walk by myself…"

The boy smiled, "Of course you can." He held out his hand, "After you," and the both of them walked to the dining hall…

-Later-

Mai sat on the floor cradling her knees. The portrait looked even more beautiful in the morning light. Serendipitously, she had stumbled upon the armour room while trying to find the guys and spent the whole morning there, at least until someone came looking for her. Mai scrutinised the picture, studying every detail: the background, the patterned fabric of her dress, the rosy colour of her cheeks. Who was this Princess Renaissance and where had she run off to? Had she taken the jewel with her? Or did Robert have it? She had so many questions which were doomed to be un-entertained by the master of the house. She had two jewels and Riya had one, it was a desperate race to find the last one and Mai didn't have the slightest idea where to look.

"I thought I'd find you here."

The voice didn't startle her this time; Mai knew who it belonged to. She heard his heels click on the floor and soon felt his presence next to her.

"I don't see what's so fascinating about a painting of a deceased woman." Robert looked up at the portrait in mock appreciation. Mai rolled her eyes. Robert had already given her a strained neck, she didn't need his sarcasm to make her day any worse. The girl got up from the floor and dusted the back of her pants. "She may not be important to you but she is to me."

"Why? Has it got something to do with your tribe? Zeelas, right?"

Mai didn't see the need to answer his question and threw one of her own back at him. "Do you happen to have a family heirloom by any chance? Like a piece of jewellery passed down for many generations?"

He raised a brow. Mai waited for an answer… either this guy was plain deaf or seriously thick in the head. "An opal-like jewel?" she put it simply.

Robert folded his arms, "Even if I had one I wouldn't tell you. After that little charade you pulled last night who knows what you're going to do."

"It'd make things easier for me if you did." Mai stood casually, abandoning her posture for a while. "And I'm asking you nicely, would you please be so kind as to tell me if you have anything similar to whatever I've described?" The girl flashed her most innocent smile.

The German suppressed smirked, slightly amused by how much effort she was putting into this. She must really want to know. "As I've said before, I wouldn't tell you."

Mai was losing her patience with him. If she could just sense the jewel then it'd save her the trouble of wasting her life with this arrogant prick, but the mansion was huge and she didn't have the time and patience to go looking high and low for a tiny rock. "Please, this is really important to me," Mai's eyes pleaded.

"And what if I don't tell you?"

Mai couldn't believe it! She had asked nicely and to some extent even sincerely!

"Fine! Don't tell me! I'll just find out for myself!" She stormed off but turned around to give one last verbal attack, "And for one who's twenty-one you behave worse than a six year old kid! Now I see how hard your family actually worked, your character's worse than crap!" She gave him a seething look before disappearing behind the door.

Robert clucked his tongue and shook his head, "My my…how uncouth."

But what Mai had said left him irritated. 'Now I see how hard your family actually worked, your character's worse than crap!' His face twitched with disgust as he remembered her words. "How dare she insult my family!"

"Master Robert?" Robert's head shot up, the anger slowly draining from his face as he saw Alfred at the door. "It's time for the guests to leave. Would you like me to show them out?"

"No, no, I'll do it myself."

-Somewhere else…-

Tala sat thinking. The problem wasn't getting the girl, it was facing Kai. "Kai," he growled, as he recalled that faithful night twelve years ago. Tala couldn't stand the sight of Kai's face, how he had grown up over the years in FREEDOM while he could only watch the world from a window above his room and behind closed metal gates.

-Flashback-

"Sir."

"Ah! Tala my boy! Come, sit down!"

The redhead narrowed his eyes as he stepped into the room. Voltaire only acted this way when he wanted something. And that something was usually worth tons more than a showy display of friendliness. He kept a straight face as Voltaire smiled back at him. 'Hmph, cut it out old man. I don't need your false pretences.'

"How has my favourite blader been?"

"The usual," Tala replied sarcastically, "ten lashes a day, running five kilometres in the blistering cold; you know I have a busy schedule." 'You designed it you idiot, so what's the point in asking?'

Voltaire's jaw stiffened, "Mind your tone when you talk to me boy! You should be grateful for what I've done for you!" He puffed on his cigar and blew the smoke in Tala's face. "And don't think I'm not aware of the marvellous vocabulary you have to substitute the word 'sir' when I'm not around."

"What do you want?"

The man took one last drag before extinguishing his cigar in the ash tray. "I have a big mission for you so I shall overlook your impudence for today."

"Just get on with it." Tala was growing impatient with him. The longer time he spent here, the longer his buddies would have to endure Boris' torturous training.

"How would you like to visit an old friend?" The man's eyes twinkled in a sinister way. The boy raised a brow. The only friends he ever had were either dead or here in Biovolt. "Study these," Voltaire slid a brown envelope across the table towards Tala. "It contains everything you need to know. Take Spencer and Bryan along with you."

The redhead peered inside and pulled out a picture. His eyes widened, "It's Kai." He rummaged through the envelope and took out more pictures, spreading them on the table.

"So you remember my good-for-nothing grandson who escaped and left you behind?"

"Of course," Tala studied the pictures, "how could I forget?"

-Flashback-

"_Kai, I can't! My leg!" I was limping as he pulled me along._

"_No! We'll make it! C'mon!"_

_We heard gunshots. Voltaire was shouting to get us. We were reaching the exit. _

_Soon, soon we'd be free!_

_You burst threw the door and we entered the frosty night._

_We did it! We're free!_

_Running; running through the snow which went up to our knees. And then I fell…_

_You turned around and saw me lying in the snow. _

"_Tala!"_

_You ran back to help me but then saw them coming, shouting for us, carrying guns…_

"_Get the one on the ground! Secure him!"_

"_Kai!"_

_You just stood there, your body turning to run. The look you gave me._

"_Kai, help me!" The men bound my hands even though I tried to struggle. "Kai!"_

_You turned to run._

"_KAAAAAAAIII!" _

_You left me behind._

-End of flashback-

'You left me behind…' Tala gritted his teeth as he stared at the picture, wishing he could burn a hole in Kai's face. And to think, the promise they had made twelve years ago…pfft.

"Don't you hate him for leaving you? Don't you want REVENGE? Well this is your chance, Tala! Make him PAY for what he did to you!" Voltaire exclaimed.

-End of flashback-

"Damn right I'll make him pay." Tala opened his laptop once again and studied the files Voltaire had given him. He was going to make this one flawless: minimum effort on his part but with maximum impact on Kai.

"Hey Tala, check this out." Spencer handed him a newspaper cutting. The Russian read the headline and a smirk played on his lips. "It's payback time."

-Back to Mai…-

"I'm telling you, he likes you!"

Dragoon swerved and tackled Levian hard on the side.

"And I'm telling you he doesn't!"

Levian returned the attack, sending Dragoon crashing into the bushes.

"C'mon! He dotes on you like a princess!"

"Does not!"

Levian slammed into Dragoon.

"Does to!"

The white blade retaliated and drilled at Levian's attack ring.

"DOES NOT!"

Both beyblades pushed and pulled against each other.

"DOES TO!"

"KNOCK IT OFF!" Kai launched Dranzer and sent both beyblades hurtling towards the bushes. Dragoon and Levian rolled onto the grass and pathetically came to rest at their masters' feet.

"I ASKED THE BOTH OF YOU TO BEYBLADE NOT EXCHANGE NOISE WITH EACH OTHER!" Mai and Tyson gave each other a look that screamed this-is-all-your-fault and turned away, especially avoiding eye contact with an irate Kai.

"Pick up your beyblades and get back to training!"

The both of them followed obediently. Now that Hilary wasn't around to settle their training regime, it was up to Kai to torture them in any way he liked, at least until Kenny arrived which was a painful sixteen hours away… Mai resented this but in no way could she defy Kai. The rest wouldn't go against him and she'd be riding solo if she did. It was Kai's way or the highway and frankly Mai would rather choose the highway if it weren't for her being the only one on that road. That's right, she was the ONLY ONE on that road. No tribe, no Copellia and the rest, and with her Grandfather lurking somewhere in the picture she'd rather not take the risk. Not until she knew she was strong enough.

Which reminded her, Levian had yet to perfect that new move. Maybe...

"Hey Kai!" He turned to see Mai tossing her beyblade up in the air and then catching it, "How about a battle?"

Now his whole body faced her. Was she challenging him?

"You're asking for a thrashing, Mai!" Max called out but the both of them ignored his words as they stood at both ends of the dirt patch. This was Mai's chance to see if her training had paid off and hopefully Dranzer could give Levian that little extra boost he needed to execute the move. But that was only IF she and Levian could pull it off, if not then…well Max had already made it clear to them.

"Rule number one, no Eden."

She snorted; all hell would break lose if she transformed into Eden. "Rule number two, no holding back. Agreed?" Kai just shrugged, she was really asking for it. Mai was too cocky for her own good. He'd teach her humility the hard way.

"Ready? LET IT RIP!"

-Two minutes later…-

"Damn it…" Mai panted heavily as her eyes focused on Kai. The boy didn't look half as exhausted as she was but you could tell he was slightly drained as well. Mai had been on the offensive trying to get Dranzer to attack but Kai was playing his defence well. It was as if Dranzer had absorbed the impact of every tackle and shove Levian threw at him. Mai decided to change her tactic, she was wasting too much energy using this approach.

"Levian! Water mage!" In a flash, several clones of Levian popped up and encircled the red phoenix. The move would help buy some time for Mai to rethink her battle strategy. She didn't need to win this, she just needed to bring out Dranzer's full power.

"DRANZER! FLAMING GIGS TURBO!"

The blue beyblade tripled its speed and a towering whirlwind of fire blasted from the middle of the bit-chip. The flames engulfed every single clone, vaporising them in a matter of minutes, leaving just one. 'NO!' Mai's eyes darted around, she had to do something!

"DODGE, LEVIAN!"

The white wolf leapt off the slopes as Dranzer's flames advanced nearer. If there was one thing Levian had that Dranzer didn't, it was speed. Mai's beyblade spun around Dranzer, leaving it trapped in a ring as it tried to attack. You could actually see the column of fire moving in circles trying to get a Levian's tail.

"NOW!"

Blue flames burst forth from Mai's beyblade and spiralled skyward like a sea serpent. It coiled around the orange flames, tighter and tighter it constricted and diminished the raging fire. Kai gritted his teeth as the heat sent him backing away. There was no way he'd admit defeat, especially not to her. It'd be like getting slapped in face with a fish!

"YOU'RE NOT EVEN TRYING KAI!" Mai shouted over the flames.

Max, Tyson and Rei watched with mouths hanging open. Was Mai crazy? Her beyblade would be burnt to smithereens if she got on Kai's bad side. "STOP IT!"

"YEAH! THE BOTH OF YOU ARE GETTING OUT OF HAND!"

But their words fell on deaf ears. Mai and Kai were stubborn fools and all they cared about now was getting what they wanted. As the two teenagers faced off, their bit beasts stood with them at each end. Red against blue, who would be victorious?

"You really wanna see?" Kai's eyes were a scary shade of red, "Fine, I'll show you."

For the first time Mai was afraid of Kai. Her heart beat with slight trepidation as she watched the red aura grow around him. 'Levian.' The wolf turned to face her and nodded reassuringly. He turned to look up at his opponent; Dranzer's flames were burning much brighter now. 'This is it. Now's Levian's chance!' "LET'S DO IT LEV!"

Levian lunged forward, his jaws gaping. Dranzer charged in to intercept the attack and the both of them collided in a fury of snapping and flapping wings. The two separated and clashed again. Claws swiped and talons scratched as both bitbeasts held their ground. Mai could feel her legs shaking from the strain on her body but she had to do this for Lev. She didn't know if it would work but they had to try. A heavy paw slammed into Dranzer's side and sent the bird flying with a shrill cry.

"DRANZER!"

The phoenix flapped its wings to steady itself and flew over Levian. With a quick move, Dranzer swept a gale of fire towards the wolf. Mai heard a wincing howl as the flames zinged Levian's coat. Nevertheless, the girl maintained her faith in him. She knew Lev could do this. 'Just hold up a bit longer!'

Levian rolled on the ground like a pig wallowing in the mud trying to put out the flames. Kai gave another order for Dranzer to attack but the wolf growled and quickly sprang to his feet. He had enough of the pesky bird; he was going to finish this once and for all.

All of a sudden Mai's beyblade went into turbo spin as it stood where it was, the friction from its drill bit penetrating a hole in the ground. Flecks of white started appearing around the spinning body and the blue flames at Levian's feet had frozen into spikes of ice. Kai was unfazed by all of this. He had something up his sleeve too. "DRANZER!" The phoenix soared high into the sky and disappeared behind the cumulus blanket.

"No…He's not—!" Rei prayed it wasn't what he thought it was. "STOP IT!"

"FLAME GENE—"

"YOU'LL KILL HER!"

'!'

In an instant, Kai's aura died down and Dranzer got sucked back into its bit-chip.

Mai stood there stupefied like she was frozen in time, 'WHAT HAPPENED?' Kai was bent over, palms resting on his knees and eyes as wide as dinner plates. What was he doing? What was he THINKING? If Rei hadn't stopped him he could've…he could've…

-Flashback-

Blazing red feathers plunged to the ground, stabbing the earth. No one was spared from the cloud of raging fire that fell from the sky, not even the Bladebreakers themselves. The orange monster engulfed the whole area, spreading to the edge of the forest where its fiery tongue lapped at the barren trees. The fire ignited everything that stood in its path and not even the rain could subdue its persistent embers.

-End of flashback-

He looked up at Mai. She was okay but she was looking at him with a confused look on her face.

"Kai! Are you all right?" Max helped him stand upright. He slung his captain's arm over his shoulder so that he could support him. That's when Mai forgot how tired she was and ran to Kai's side. "Are you okay? You're not hurt right?" her eyes frantically searched for any bruises or wounds. She knew Kai would push himself but she never expected things to turn out this way. Gosh she had been so selfish!

But the way Kai looked at her made her take a step back. His eyes burned with a sort of hatred in them. Mai gulped, she was merely concerned. She didn't know he'd react this way.

Inside Kai was cursing and swearing: 'How dare she provoke me? I could've KILLED her!' "You think this is all just fun and games?" His voice was rising.

"Kai, I—"

"Get lost! Get out of my sight!" he spat as he held his intense glare.

Mai backed away, almost tripping over a stone. She wanted to explain but it looked like nothing she could say would help make things better. Why was he mad at her? It was just a battle. What had she done?

Mai hated the look in his eyes. She could take the snide remarks and bossy attitude but that look just killed her. She watched helplessly as Max supported Kai up the little slope, leaving her behind with Tyson and Rei.

"Don't mind what he said, he's just tired." Rei tried to comfort her.

Mai gave him a wan smile then looked glumly at the floor. She really hated that look. She didn't want Kai to hate her. Dislike was one thing but hate was the extreme! Like she was a pest, or someone who had murdered his family…

"Hey, zou le ba. (mandarin: let's go)" Rei gave her a gentle push and the trio started walking with Mai dragging her heavy feet behind her…

-Fast forward-

She sat crossed-legged on the bed as Kenny talked about battle strategies. The others had questions but she had none. She wasn't listening to any of it, she had virtually switched off. How could she even concentrate knowing that Kai was in the room? She felt like she was walking on a tightrope, one false move—and he would detonate like a bomb. The past few days leading up to the tournament weren't so pleasant either…

"_Max, Rei, Tyson! Fifteen laps around the arena! The rest of you, twenty!"_

Oh right, Mai became known as 'the rest' because Kai wouldn't even let her name touch his tongue…

She couldn't stand it the way he looked at her, with that you-ruined-my-life glare. At times she wanted to apologise but when she opened her mouth, nothing came out and Kai would just say something nasty and walk away, leaving her feeling irritated and angry that she'd wonder why she even wanted to say sorry in the first place. Maybe he didn't deserve her apology, considering the way he was treating her it looked like he didn't need it. But Mai couldn't go on like this. She was going to live with the Bladebreakers for as long as she could and if she had to see Kai's tormenting expression everyday she'd go crazy.

"Any questions?"

"No," Mai seemed stunned by her own abrupt reply. The words just popped right out of her mouth. "I mean—no questions…"

-Kai's POV-

Pfft. She's not even listening…

I turned away looking for something more pleasant to lay eyes on and settled on the waterway below. It was dark outside and I refocused my vision to see the reflections of those in the room. I caught her looking at me, the same way she did these past few days: guilty, helpless…like a spineless dog.

Maybe I should thank her. She gave me a reason to hate her, just what I needed to help erase my feelings for her—or now lack thereof.

Dranzer: _You're fooling yourself._

_I'm_ fooling myself? It was her fault, Dranzer! She provoked me into almost killing her! She has no idea what I'm capable of, to her it's just a battle, a battle where I put her life at stake! I could've killed her with my _own _bear hands and she doesn't even know it!

Dranzer: _I know you're upset with her. But you're more mortified by the fact that YOU could've killed her. That the one you tried so desperately to protect all this while could die at your hands._

Though I hated the truth being shoved into my face, Dranzer was right. I didn't want to lose someone because of me. I vowed never again to let anyone suffer the same fate as Nala did. Travelling on one guilty path was enough; I didn't need a fork in the road.

Mai's foolish, she deserves it…

-End of POV-

Kai watched as Mai played with the zipper of her hoody. He knew all too well that she was feeling uncomfortable around him but so what? He wasn't the only one who was at fault here. She needed to do a little soul-searching herself. 'Maybe this'll teach her to grow up.'


	27. The Nightmare Begins

Chapter 64------The Nightmare Begins

Kai blinked back the fear in his eyes, wishing it would go away, wishing that it was all just a dream.

A smirk, "You want her? Come and get her!"

Mai's limp body was dumped into the cockpit and the buzzing helicopter took to the skies with the wind thrashing in his face. Kai couldn't even take one last look at them and soon the helicopter had shrunk into a tiny dot against the starless sky. He stood there motionless, his mind subconsciously replaying the events of the last few hours. Kai punched the ground under his feet.

He had been careless.

-16 hours ago…-

"AND KRAIKEN IS OUTTA THE DISH!"

Her blue orbs grew wide with delight as the green beyblade soared through the air away from the beydish—a good sign, a very good sign. Everyone watched in anticipation for the landing, that one clattering that would shatter the peace of her opponent's heart and bring glory to her name. Like Max, Rei, Tyson and Kai, she wanted to be on par with the big boys.

Kraiken fell with a loud clank—and the crowd went wild!

"YEAH!" Mai made a ball with her fist as she savoured the victory. All around people were cheering, faces smiling, speakers blasting the good news. She loved the feeling of winning. It wasn't everything, but this time it mattered more than anything.

Now Kai could see for himself how hard she actually worked.

"Good" was all he said, simple, impassive and dominating. They never apologised but things were getting better. Mai was grateful even when he spoke five words to her in a day. She had learnt to accept the fact that they'd never come to terms with each other but at least he didn't hate her; not as much as that day. Although deep down inside she wished she could understand him. That way he wouldn't get mad at her all the time. Maybe Kai would even treat her better.

Wishful thinking perhaps, but it didn't hurt to hope.

…

Mai placed her tray on the table and pointed to a huge sausage on Tyson's plate, "What's that?"

"It's haggis. Want some?" He sliced a piece for her. Unpleasant thoughts invaded her mind as she eyed the oversized meat roll. "No thanks, I'll pass."

Mai wondered how it could taste so delectable. Its contents looked like mashed up intestines, liver, stomach and whatever unwanted parts of a cow or pig stuffed into some kind of skin wrap yet Tyson seemed to enjoy every morsel of it. Tala took one side-wards glance at Tyson's plate and made a face. Mai gave a little snort. Tala was like Kai, only slightly better. He talked little, showed little emotion and commanded respect, but he was warmer and didn't ignore you when you spoke to him; although his words seemed a bit distant at times. He looked good, he spoke well and he battled amazingly. The redhead she had accidentally bumped into turned out to be Kai plus so much more. And the more she talked with him, the more she grew to like him.

"Hey Kai, how about dinner tonight? You know, catch up on things. Just like old times." Spencer patted him on the back nearly making him choke on his food. Kai didn't know which one almost choked him, the 'just like old times' bit or the idea of eating dinner with Tala, but it was definitely not the pat on the back.

Seeing Tala again after so many years wasn't exactly a tearful oh-my-gosh-I-finally-found-you moment. The first time he saw Tala with Mai, he pulled her away, staring at him like he had seen a ghost. 'He isn't supposed to be alive,' he told himself, 'not after what we've done. Voltaire would never spare us.'

-Flashback-

"What're you doing here?"

"Competing in the tournament," Tala replied as-a-matter-of-fact.

Kai knew it was bullshit. Voltaire wasn't that easy to read, somewhere there had to be a motive. And Tala managing to escape was as believable as pigs flying. No one could escape Voltaire's grasp that easily. He'd hunt you down, wherever you were. The man was pulling the strings behind everything and Tala here was just the puppet.

-End of flashback-

"I'm fine with that," Tala's voice bounced him back to reality.

"So how about it Kai?" Spencer pressed. Kai felt the back of his neck burn. He didn't want to but Tala and the guys had acted like they had in the past when all of them were together in Biovolt watching each others' backs and laughing when they had the chance to. Kai wanted that friendship back; he wanted to patch things up with Tala. However a part of him still doubted the situation. There were certain parts of the story that sounded too good to be true.

Sensing Kai's hesitance, Tala reluctantly added after much thought, "Your friends can come too if they like."

"Really?"

The Russian smiled and nodded his head. He'd have to tweak his plan a bit but as long as he managed to lure Mai and Kai away, everything would go accordingly.

-Back to the present-

Kai pushed through the crowd until he reached the table— "Mai's gone! Tala took her!"

"WHAT?" All of them jumped out of their seats. Questions were thrown at Kai and the girls expressions crumpled into worrisome looks.

Riya grabbed at Kai's shirt, "Where is she? WHERE?"

For the first time Kai looked scared to speak. It was one of the extremely rare moments he ever showed fear. He didn't want to face reality; he didn't want to relive his past with Nala again. Mai screaming and being dragged behind a heavy metal door… "He…He took her."

"YOU IDIOT!" The Zeelan threw a punch at him. He was panting with rage. He had warned her! He had warned her!

-7 hours ago…-

Drex held the door for her and she stepped into the room feeling a little uneasy. Copellia sounded serious when she said she wanted to talk to her. "Hey," Mai greeted her best friend but froze when she saw who else was in the room. He looked up at her from the bed and then looked away like he was ashamed.

"Good," Copellia placed her hands together, "now the both of you can have a little chat. Me and Drex will just be waiting in here." She pushed Drex into the bathroom and closed the door.

Mai stood there like a fool. She made a mental note to get back at Lia for this. The two held an uncomfortable silence and Mai thought it wasn't fair that she was the one standing while Riya sat down. But she didn't dare move. She didn't dare do anything.

"Copellia…"

'He speaks!' Mai looked up.

"She wanted me to talk to you." His violet eyes met her stormy blue ones and stayed there till he could no longer force himself to look at her. Mai stayed quiet, was it her turn to speak? But what should she say? She continued to look at the person she once loved: Riya's hair had grown longer and slightly tousled and his face spotted a tan, probably a result of all the training he did. She never knew the reason why he left her. Maybe now was a good time to ask. The truth would hurt but at least she'd know. She opened her mouth—

"I know I shouldn't be doing this, maybe I don't even deserve your time." He fumbled a bit, staring down at his knuckles. His words hurt her. She'd give all her time to him if he'd only let her. "But, that guy you're with, the one with the red hair, stay away from him."

Mai furrowed her brows, "What?"

"The guy's no good. Just stay away from him okay?"

Her heart was ablaze with mutiny. He didn't even KNOW Tala! And here he was telling her that she should stay away from him like she belonged to him? After what he did to her? "So now you're dictating my life? Who're you to tell me who I should or shouldn't see?" Mai's voice rose.

"I'm just saying that you should be careful," He stood up, his tone matching hers. Why was she being so difficult?

"Why should you care? You're the one who LEFT me!" Mai wanted very much not to cry at the memory.

Riya kept still at her words. She had a point. He had left her, he shouldn't be caring. It was against the rules. But he never wanted to, he was forced to. He loved her; he just couldn't be with her. It was a sacrifice Mai couldn't know about.

"You left me," the girl sniffed, "you idiot!" She looked at him with crest-fallen eyes. Who was he to just drop her like that and then tell her what to do? Was she a toy to him? Something you just play with for awhile then forget, and then start remembering how much fun it was? Was she that easy? Was she nothing more?

Mai headed towards the door but Riya grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. "Let me go!" Her arm shook under his grip but he only tightened it, a red patch slowly forming where his fingers touched her skin. "Just listen to me." But she continued to struggle. "Mai!" the way he said her name compelled her to look at him. Her hard eyes bore into his and she saw them search hers only to find anger and sadness.

"Just be careful around the guy," he finally managed to say and let go of her arm. Mai pulled it back defensively, still looking at him with all the anger she could muster against this beautiful being. She could never hate him, even if she wanted to, even if her training had been fuelled by the very essence of seeking revenge for what he did to her. It was what she told herself and Riya a long time ago: 'I could never hate you…I'll always forgive you. Always…'

She placed a hand on the door handle—her voice came in a soft whisper, "Did you ever love me?"

"Not anymore," Riya's words fired like a string of bullets. There was no hint of hesitation, no imperceptible croak or wavering that gave his feelings away. But the words left his mouth with a ton of regret and hurt. He had to grit his teeth and grind those emotions into nothingness which dispersed with the wind when he said it. It was a good thing that Mai was facing her back to him. She couldn't see the pool of anguish residing in his glossy eyes.

…

"Mou ippai! (Another one!)" Mai slammed the glass on the table.

"That's enough. You've already had three." Rei pushed her back into the upholstery that was starting to peel at the top. The scabrous leather irritated the back of her neck but Mai was too drunk to care. The girl let out a dry laugh, "Nanda Rei? (What?) This thing only has three percent alcohol in it! It's not like I'm drinking vodka or anything." She laughed again and signalled to the bartender for another glass. This was Riya's fault. She was getting drunk over Riya. This was pathetic, she didn't even drink! But she was being stupid. Riya was a jerk.

Tala's lips curled as he watched her. She was making things easier for him. The pill would knock her out for hours, and then Kai would come looking for her only to find his precious lying unconscious in a helicopter bound for Russia. Just thinking about it made his insides squirm with excitement. In just a few hours, he'd give Kai the biggest smack-in-the-face of his life. Oh but it didn't end there, no it didn't. They'd have more fun when Kai returned to Biovolt.

"I'll go get your drink," the redhead offered and got up. Smiling, he took the glass from the bartender and inconspicuously dropped the pill inside it. He swirled the glass a little, making sure everything dissolved before returning to the group. "Here." Mai took it and emptied the glass in one long draft.

"Okay that's enough Mai. No more for you." Rei pulled her hand back down just as she was about to call for another glass. Mai muttered something in Zeelan and slumped back in her seat. Her eyes scanned the room: there was the dance floor with its mess pool of sweaty bodies, the bar, the second floor where people flung their arms over the railings like meat hung out to dry, and her friends, all seated in a circle located in the corner of the dimly lit boom box. The girl laughed. Thinking about it, everything was so ridiculous, what was she so depressed about? She felt so light-hearted like there was nothing bothering her. Riya, the tournament, Kai, all of them were such trivial things. She had a life to go on living; she could drop these things like mud splat on the ground.

She could, anytime.

The music thumped and Mai's head grew heavy as every beat added to the weight on her head. Her head lolled back and she brought it forward again, opening her eyes wide. 'Why am I…?' She dismissed it for fatigue and just let the music fill her ears. She wasn't paying attention to what her friends were saying and the music was just sound, no tempo, no rhythm, entering one ear and out the other. She couldn't keep focus.

"C'mon," Tala pulled her up and led her to the dance floor. Mai just followed, she knew she was being asked to dance and her friends had merged into the mass of bodies along with her. However her brain was a blur, it was being left behind; it was her body that was moving forward, step by step, plunging her into impending danger.

Around her the shadows danced, looming in closer and drawing back again. 'Let me sleep, let me sleep,' her brain chanted. Someone touched her waist and she clumsily swatted the hand away. Her eye lids were protesting, threatening to shut themselves.

'Let me sleep…'

Her body stopped and the music played.

'Let me sleep…'

Her head fell forward and everyone danced.

'Let me sleep…'

She could see Tala and no one else. Where was everybody? Where...

"Dare ga… (Someone…)"

She collapsed.

'Tasukkete… (Help)'

Tala held the girl against his body, "Mai? Mai!" He searched the room for her friends. "Don't worry, I'll take you outside!"

…

Spencer's mobile rattled in his pocket. 'About time!' he was getting sick of making idle chitchat with Kai. He pressed a button and held it to his ears. He spoke in Russian, a language Kai hadn't rehearsed in years. Still, he understood every word. Spencer slid the mobile back in his pocket and got up, "We'll make a move first. Bryan here's getting too drunk. Right?" He gave his friend a playful shove. "Have fun," Spencer threw him a smile and walked off—

"Wait! What about Tala?"

"Oh, he already left. Had some business to take care of."

"What?" And then he remembered, 'Mai was with him!'

He ran after them.

…

Spencer and Bryan burst threw the swinging door and bounded up the stairs to the roof. They had never run so fast, Kai was like a serial killer behind them but they enjoyed the thrill of it.

Kai raced after them, all he could think of was Mai. Was she okay? Why did they want her? What was going on? Would he ever see her again? He wasn't going to lose her, was he?

'Mai!'

He pumped up the stairs.

'Mai!'

Spencer and Bryan's backs disappeared behind a door and he followed, past the door, emerging into a white light of revelation.

"Mai!"

The wind hit his face and he moved forward, halting at the bullet's line of fire. Kai's body stiffened, he could see Bryan and Spencer climbing into the helicopter, and Mai clinging to the devil himself. Tala held Mai with one arm, the other pointing a black shotgun at his so-called _friend_.

"Surprised, Kai?"

"Let her go!" Kai shouted over the wind but Tala just pulled Mai closer to him. The redhead stepped back slowly, signalling for Bryan to take the girl. Kai moved—

"Ah! I wouldn't do that if I were you, lest you want a big hole in yourself." Tala's gaze dropped and he smiled, "But maybe Voltaire wouldn't mind if I went for the leg?" Kai locked his jaws so tight he could grit the enamel off his teeth. He was helpless and he hated it. Every move they made on Mai made his heart do double duty. He was losing her, and Tala made sure he witnessed every minute of it.

"Why are you doing this? Mai's got nothing to do with you!"

"But it's got everything to do with YOU!" Tala spat out the 'you' like it was something revolting in his mouth. "Remember twelve years ago?" Kai's head jerked. "Do you know how much I suffered? And I waited Kai, every day I waited like a goddamn fool! But you never came." He took some time to breathe before continuing, "You took what was precious to me then, so now I'm returning the favour." A wicked smile cracked on his face as he climbed into the seat next to Mai.

"You want her? Come and get her!"

And the helicopter levitated above the ground as the wind beat in his ears. Kai shielded his face and when he finally removed his arm—

They were gone.


	28. The Morning After, Emotions Run High

Chapter 65------The Morning After, Emotions Run High

Mai's eyes fluttered open. Her head felt so heavy it could fall off her shoulders. She moved—'Huh?' something restricted her hands. And that's when she took notice of her surroundings: Tala, Spencer, pilot, clouds, rope. Something in her mind clicked and she kicked about like a fish out of water, her screams muffled against the cloth that drew across her mouth.

Tala glanced at her, smiled nonchalantly and then turned away. Mai continued with her futile struggle, the rope burning into her flesh. She squirmed and screamed, banging on the metal behind her, anything to get her out of this place. Oh god just please let get her out of this place.

Unable to stand it any longer, Spencer turned around, whipped out his gun and pointed it at Mai. "Knock it off." The girl stopped instantly, her pupils dilated at the sight of the deep tunnel of the barrel. She told herself to calm down even though her heart was pounding against her ribs. There was a gun pointing at her, a freaking gun!

No one had ever held her at gunpoint before, except for her Grandfather. He was the only monster who could do such a thing, to drive a bullet through his own son, his own flesh and blood and still feel nothing. And now Mai was facing the same situation. Would he shoot? 'He wouldn't, he can't!' But what if he could? What if he didn't kill her but just let her bleed slowly and feel the excruciating pain of the wound?

Mai whimpered at the thought. She didn't want to die. She'd been trying so hard to live a normal life up till now and then one day her happiness just gets ripped to shreds, and she gets thrown back into the life she'd been trying, struggling, fighting so desperately to get away from.

It had been ten months since that day…and she never wished to return to it ever again.

Spencer placed the gun back in his coat pocket and Mai felt the tension ease off her shoulders. She had been spared.

Mai behaved herself for the rest of the journey. She had more sense in her head than to anger these people. The girl sat in the back of the airborne machine contemplating her situation, asking herself how and why she had ended up in a helicopter with unfamiliar people bounded for god knows where. She blamed herself for being too trusting, but she was more terrified about what would happen afterwards when they reached their destination. Fear danced about like a free spirit inside her, it was his moment to shine. He pranced about, conjuring up memories of past kidnappings and making his host tremble at the possibilities. What would they do to her? What did they want? Was it her Grandfather's doing? 'Grandfather!' Mai regretted the thought. 'He'd kill me! He'd kill me!' Her lips trembled, why was this happening to her? What had she done? Why did she have to be born with Eden? Why? Why? WHY?

Levian: '_Be strong, Mai. Be strong._'

The voice startled her, 'Lev!' She felt her bottom eye lids swell but suppressed the waterworks, feeling grateful in her heart that someone was with her. She wanted so much to hug Levian, as though her every breath depended on it. He was her life support, the one thing that kept her sane and slightly relieved in her current position. Her mental state could've crumbled any minute but Lev, he was there by her side. And he'd always be there. She couldn't thank him enough; she really couldn't thank him enough.

"Tala," Spencer called. The voice wove through her thoughts and Mai listened to the two converse in a language that was alien to her. But as they say, actions spoke louder than words and this time it screamed in Mai's face.

"NO! PLEASE!" She tried frantically to get away from the needle that was inching closer to her. "PLEASE! PLEASE! I'll do anything!" She stared horrified at the clear liquid inside the syringe. Drugs? Poison? Mai shifted her weight across the floor, kicking Tala every chance she got but he only blocked her attacks and pinned her down on her stomach. "Please! I'll do anything!" She cried and she fought yet still they mocked her. Tears squeezed out of her marine orbs and she felt the needle pierce her skin. She hated it. She hated that they could do anything they want with her. She absolutely hated it!

Mai lay on the hard floor sniffing and choking on her tears. The needle was out and she felt fine—for now. In her pitiful state she blamed the world; she blamed herself, holding a grudge against anyone who had wronged her. But most of all she blamed Eden, for disrespecting her, for toying with her emotions, and for beleaguering her with such a destiny no human on the face of this planet ever deserves!

'WHY ME? JUST GET OUT OF MY LIFE!' Mai lay on her side, the skin between her eyebrows was scrunched up and her birthmark stared back at her like a stark white sheet of paper. She should've died then. She should have died and gone to be with her parents but no, she was saved. Mai curled up into a ball, swearing and cursing, 'One day I'll destroy you! One day…'

'I swear…'

The drug was potent and she blacked out.

-Somewhere else-

"Where are they taking her?"

"Russia." Kai drained his coffee cup. Neither of them had slept a wink since they came back from the club. Everyone had been bombarding Kai with questions, making accusations, worrying about Mai, getting agitated at the thought of not making any progress…

"WHY? What do they want with her?" Copellia almost shouted. She couldn't believe it; her best friend was gone! And some random people just decided to take her and run off? What in the world was going on here? WHO THE HELL WERE THOSE PEOPLE?

"I don't know," Kai muttered.

"WHADDYA MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW? HE'S YOUR FUCKING FRIEND!" Riya's blood was boiling. 'This guy!'

"Riya!" Copellia glared at him for his language.

"It's because of YOUR friend that Mai's in danger so stop playing dumb!" Riya pulled Kai up forcefully by the shirt and stared fiercely into his crimson eyes, "You of all people should be doing something! Don't you care if Mai gets hurt?"

'"Don't you care if Mai gets hurt?"' At this point Kai shoved him away. Riya knew nothing! He knew nothing about the guilt in his heart, about how he blamed himself for all of this, about how every minute he worried for Mai's safety praying that Voltaire hadn't hurt her. Everything was his fault! He had let his guard down. He failed to protect Mai! It was all his fault!

"That's enough!" Drex came between them, holding the two boys apart. "Unless you two calm down we're never going to get beyond this point! Every second we waste here, Mai's every second closer to danger. And the both of you want to save her right?" He exchanged glances between the both of them. Neither said a word. Drex finally let go of them and they fell into separate seats across each other.

"Now let's discuss this. We know that most probably Kai's grandfather took her and she's headed for Russia, where exactly we don't know."

"Biovolt," Kai spoke to the floor, "in the old capital of St. Petersburg."

"Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Copellia looked at him with a we-could-be-saving-Mai-right-now-instead-of-this face.

"I…" Kai decided to be cooperative. If they were going to save Mai, they had to work together and he couldn't be keeping the information all to himself. If he had to tell the whole story then he'd jolly well suck up his pride and tell it.

Kai's mouth hang open, he couldn't say it.

"Never mind. What do they want with her?" Drex pressed on with the questions.

"I don't know."

Riya clenched his fists in irritancy. They were getting nowhere because of his 'I don't knows'!

Rei placed a hand on Kai's shoulder, "Now's not the time to be stubborn Kai." The two toned blue-haired captain looked at the neko-jin in shock. "Tell them everything. Tell them about Voltaire."

'Rei!' Kai was stunned. Rei had promised never to tell anyone about Voltaire. Kai never told anyone else, only Rei knew and he promised to keep it that way. But now Rei had brought his name up for everyone to hear. Now everyone was going to ask about it and his dark past would have to be exposed.

'Damn it!'

"Who's Voltaire?" Tyson spoke up.

Kai clamped his mouth, his eyes boring deep into the carpet.

"Tell them. Or I'll tell it for you."

The boy looked at Rei, his tongue sliding over his teeth, thinking and disliking his situation. He breathed in deep and held it there, before letting it all out. "Voltaire…is my grandfather."

"I don't know what he wants with Mai. It could be to use her, or make her part of Biovolt. Maybe he knows about her power. But whatever it is, it's not something good. When he wants something he doesn't care who gets involved, who gets hurt or who dies. He'd stop at nothing to get it." Kai stopped to scan their faces. "That's the kind of man you'll be facing," he finished.

"But how could he know about her power? Only we know about it!" Max reasoned.

"Lots of people know: us, the Saint shields, Mai's grandfather, if they found out then anyone can find out. So many people have come after her, word could've gotten out." Everyone agreed with Tyson. They had to think about the many possibilities instead of being bugged down by the 'whys'.

"So should we inform the police?"

There was a mixed response of 'no' and 'yes'.

"Are you crazy? To the world we're dead! If you inform the police you'll expose our identities as Zeelans! Especially since the case will be international!"

"Voltaire has wide connections. It's risky."

"Then you expect us to save Mai on our own? Take down this Biovolt by OURSELVES?"

Questions served back and forth between them.

"I could go."

"I'm going too!"

"You're not going alone," Copellia looked at Kai and then turned to Riya, "and YOU are most certainly NOT going with him!" The brown-haired teen opened his mouth to argue but Copellia continued, "I know we all want to save Mai but you two can't be risking your lives for everyone else! You guys are not heroes! What if something goes wrong and we lose you?" She looked at Riya sympathetically as if addressing everything to him, "You're not in this alone. We're all in it together."

Riya turned away, his heart feeling a little lopsided. Copellia had told him the same thing yesterday…

-Flashback-

-Riya's POV-

I heard the door closed behind her. Saying those words to her were as hard as trying to crunch metal between teeth but there was nothing else I could do. And then I remembered. This was the second time…the second time she walked away from me.

But… how many times have I done the same to her?

The bathroom door clicked and Copellia came out—

-SLAP-

A hand rushed to comfort my throbbing cheek.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL HER?"

I turned away. Seeing Copellia angry like this made me feel guilty. I knew she wanted what's best for me but I just… "I couldn't tell her…"

Suddenly I felt more confident; I had a valid reason: "I HAD to push her away! She'd come back if I told her the truth! I can't risk Eden harming her!"

"Oh just shut up!"

I blinked at her response.

"You think you're the only who's suffering? That you should be pitied just because you've sacrificed so much? That you're the world's most depressing love story?" Copellia's eyes slanted into a pained expression. "Well we're all suffering too! Mai, me, Mit-chan, Drex! Everyone's suffering because of your impulsiveness!"

I flashed my eyes at Drex. He looked at me apologetically and stayed out of the conversation.

"You think that what you're doing is always right. It's for Mai, it's to protect her! But all you're doing is just hurting everyone else while you stand there thinking you've been vindicated! You're selfish and hurtful!"

That's not true! I care about you, Mit-chan and the rest! I'm carrying the burden so that you guys would be safe! I don't wanna hurt any of you! I'm doing this for your sake! "I'm—I'm just!" But the words refused to spill out of my mouth as easy as they had formed in my head.

"What is wrong with you? Why can't you just—" Tears dripped on her shirt. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" She pounded a fist against my chest. She was slipping and I quickly held her up.

"Stop trying so hard on your own…" she sniffed. "It hurts watching you."

'!'

Her words stabbed me like a knife. At that moment I felt so hollow that if you knocked you could hear right through me.

I had no idea…I'd been hurting them all along? But I thought that if I…that if I stayed away, that if I didn't tell them then they'd be safe from Eden. I kept everything to myself; I was trying to accommodate everyone so that they'd be happy, never mind if I felt miserable.

But in the end they saw right through me, and everything became my fault. They were suffering all this time I tried to protect them… And here I thought I was being righteous.

My conscience stared at itself. Copellia was right here pouring her heart out and I was mulling over my thoughts. I didn't know what was right anymore. What I thought was right turned out to be wrong and what was wrong was definitely wrong. Was I doing everything wrong?

Am _I_ wrong?

"I'm sorry." The words slipped from my mouth. 'Sorry' was a magic word I could fall back on.

"…Sorry for everything." I figured that no matter how many times I said it, it'd still sound empty and insincere, like the words coming out of my mouth were like water gushing from a tap. You couldn't grasp anything; the liquid just spilled through your fingers and washed down the drain. But I was sorry, I truly was, but it just didn't sound right.

With Eden nothing was ever right…

-End of POV and flashback-

"Copellia's right," the white-haired Zeelan addressed all of them, "none of us can do this alone. We need back-up, someone whom we can trust."

"But who?"

"I don't know."

Mit-chan hadn't spoken a word the whole time, but as she sat there listening to them she grew frustrated. She was sure one of those _Humans_ had taken her and it just intensified her hatred towards the filthy race. Riya had been right all along; they treated them like dirt! These stupid disgusting creatures! Did they find pleasure in tormenting others? They were nothing but greedy conniving bastards! Mit-chan vowed that if they ever found out whoever did this to Mai she'd crush the person with her own bear hands. She'd wrap her fingers around his puny little neck and strangle the life out of him like a floppy chicken. She'd make him beg for his life!

The girl gnashed her teeth, 'He'll never live to see the next sunrise. I swear it!'

-Wherever Mai is…-

"Wake up." Tala tapped her face lightly. Mai elicited a groan as her head rolled to the side. "Wake up." He tapped her cheek harder this time and Mai opened her eyes. The Zeelan shifted her head drowsily, peering through her crusty eyes at the man standing before her. Mai felt so lethargic, she wanted to go back to sleep but this person wouldn't let her. He placed both hands under her arms and pulled her to her feet. Mai felt her knees wobble, she was going to collapse if he let go of her. Tala took a coat from Bryan and helped her into it, shielding her from the cold and avoiding attention by the state of her clothes that were blotched with patches of grey in many places. "Now walk." Mai obeyed and shuffled her feet forward as her hand held onto Tala's arm for support. She was too giddy with fatigue to care where they were taking her but from the long whistle in the background she guessed they were at a train station.

Spencer and Bryan flanked them at both sides as they walked. Mai noticed that Spencer kept his hands in his coat all the time and was reminded of the gun concealed between those insulating fibres. She gulped and willed herself not to think about it. The girl looked around, the place was teeming with people! Walking around, queuing up to buy tickets, loading heavy baggage, there was a chance she could escape! Mai looked for an opening and made a run for it—she bumped into a tall man.

"Whoa!"

Mai looked up to see a man in uniform, 'A policeman?' Yes! Yes! She was saved! The girl was on the brink of tears! "Help me please! These men are after me! Please! I beg you! Save my life!" She pulled at his uniform like a homeless child begging for money.

But a voice sounded from behind, a familiar voice.

Mai's heart stopped beating. She dared not turn around.

Tala stepped up to the officer and they both started talking.

"No, don't listen to him! He wants to hurt me! Please! Don't let them take me away! PLEASE!" Mai gripped at the khaki uniform so tightly her fingernails dug into her palm through the fabric. She stared up at the man and he looked back at her smiling.

It was a stiff smile, a smile that made the hairs on her arm stand on end. Something in that smile told her that she had been deceived. Things were not going to go her way. She wasn't going to be saved.

The man said something to her, his eyes held a cynical happiness within them. "No…" Mai shook her head in disbelief. "No…NO! NO!" She clamped her hands over her head. Her blue eyes trembled in their sockets and her breath vibrated in her throat. This wasn't happening! This wasn't happening! Everything was a bad dream! He wouldn't hand her over to Tala! He was a policeman! HE WAS A POLICEMAN!

They steered the shaking Mai away by the shoulders and Tala walked with her for some distance before turning her around to face him. He held both her wrists tightly in his hands and spoke calmly, "Don't try to be funny with me. This place is rigged with our men, even that policeman just now." He jerked his head slightly to the policeman on patrol. Mai looked around her, only noticing now that people occasionally flashed their eyes at them as if secretly monitoring the situation. Of course! She had been so stupid! How could she think that escaping would be so easy? Mai realised she had no chance. Who was this enemy she was up against? Who could be so powerful to have hundreds of people at their disposal?

Tala wore a serious expression. "Behave yourself if you want to live. It's not up to me to decide what happens to you, but if you give me no choice then I can't guarantee I'd make the right decision. Do you understand?" Mai nodded her head, fixating her eyes on the black buttons that ran vertically down his coat. He let go of her right wrist and led her by her left. "You'll act mute for the rest of the journey. Don't speak to anyone even if they ask you a question." Once again she nodded her head.

Tala never once let go of her hand, even when they queued up to purchase the tickets, even as they sat there waiting for the train to pull into the station. When Mai asked to go to the toilet he sent some girl to go with her to make sure she didn't try anything funny. He was being cautious, too overly cautious.

The girl kept her head down as she waited on the platform, the bitter cold stinging her face. At times someone would come up to them and Mai would hear Tala address the person in a friendly tone but she never looked up to see who it was. 'Fake,' she told herself. Tala was faking everything, right from the very beginning. She wondered if he had planned this whole charade, their 'accidental' bump in the hotel, their chance meeting during the tournament, posing as Kai's childhood friend and warming up to his friends, acting so gentlemanly around her. He had been faking EVERYTHING and Mai didn't sense the slightest hint of trouble until it was too late. And now she was sitting here doing nothing. She could think about her friends back in Germany, would they save her? Were they still competing in the tournament? She could think about what Tala would do to her. She could think about so many things, but she couldn't do anything about it.

Mai tucked her chin deeper into her neck. Tala noticed her from the corner of his right eye. He thought for a while, and then undid his scarf and placed it on her lap. Mai's head shot up to look at him. "Put it on," the boy said, looking straight ahead. She took the scarf and wrapped it around her neck, pulling the collar of her coat higher up her neck. This place was cold, colder than she had ever experienced in China. The frost was pinching at her cheeks making them a rosy red.

"Can I ask you one thing? Before I stop talking?" Mai heard him let out a heavy breath and a cloud of steam rose from his face. She didn't care if he wasn't answering. "Who wants to kidnap me?" Bryan looked at her and then looked at Tala to see how he would respond. The redhead ignored her. Mai moved her wrist away but he only tightened his grip. Bryan seemed pleased by this and turned to make small talk with Spencer. Her thin wrist struggled under his fingers; she was going to make him answer her. Tala gave her a cold look and Mai responded with a glare. She winced and looked down at her wrist. He was squeezing it to the bone and it hurt! The Zeelan raised her head to look at him, her eyes expressing pain while her face twisted into a look of sheer hatred.

Her determination fell asunder. Mai succumbed to the pain and gave up. Tala loosened his grip and she examined the damage. It was a good contrast, her fingers pale as china while her wrist shone like a red traffic light. It was the human embodiment of the Polish flag.

Mai's skin tingled under the heavy coat. She wanted to cry but not in front of them, never in front of them. She couldn't speak, she couldn't resist, she'd get hurt for being defiant. She couldn't do anything except breathe!

The train pulled into the station and Mai watched through tear-rimmed eyes as the smoke puffed out in waves over the green carriages. Tala got up and Mai followed like a dog chained to its master…


End file.
